Thousands of San Marcos residents rolled out of bed Friday morning to find the lights out, after a series of utility pole fires before dawn knocked out power and darkened traffic signals along State Highway 123. Police shut down lanes near Rattler Road and Wonder World Drive and urged drivers to steer clear while crews tackled the mess in wintry conditions that officials say may have played a role.
Where the fires ignited
The San Marcos Police Department reported that the fires were clustered on SH 123 between Rattler Road and Wonder World Drive, where downed power lines and dead traffic signals turned the busy stretch into a hazard zone, according to CBS Austin. Officers called the scene active and urged drivers to avoid the corridor while emergency and utility crews worked through the morning.
Outage scale and utility response
Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative reported that more than 2,500 customers in the area lost power and said crews were scrambling to put out pole fires, repair damaged infrastructure and then bring service back online, according to Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative. The utility described the pole fires as weather-related and said the first trouble calls started coming in early Friday. Bluebonnet added that it did not yet have a firm timeline for full restoration.
Safety and reporting
Officials are reminding residents to treat any downed power lines as dangerous and to stay away from the affected routes. Customers are encouraged to report outages through the city’s outage management system or to contact Utility Customer Services for help, per the City of San Marcos. Drivers should brace for delays while traffic signals remain dark and follow instructions from officers directing traffic. Authorities say the situation is still developing, and crews plan to stay on scene until power is safely restored.
