Thousands of North County residents had their nights cut short when the lights abruptly went out across a wide swath of coastal and inland neighborhoods yesterday. From Encinitas and Carlsbad to Escondido, homes and small businesses reported blackouts during peak evening hours, leaving entire blocks in the dark.
San Diego Gas & Electric said multiple outage clusters were reported Thursday night, with the first customer calls coming in around 7:41 PM Crews were dispatched to investigate the cause, according to FOX 5 San Diego.
Where outages were reported
SDG&E’s outage center showed large clusters stretching across Encinitas, La Costa, Carlsbad and Olivenhain, along with inland pockets around Escondido, Rancho Penasquitos and Rancho Bernardo. The interactive map listed thousands of affected customers on multiple circuits and doubled as the main hub for real-time restoration estimates.
Restoration estimates and impact
Restoration timelines varied by neighborhood, with early estimates pointing to staggered returns through the late evening. 10News reported that several outage clusters were projected to come back online before midnight as crews worked to track down and fix the underlying electrical faults. The disruptions left households and small businesses without lighting and upended evening routines across multiple North County communities.
How to get updates and report problems
Customers are urged to keep an eye on the utility’s outage center for live status updates and to report downed lines, power losses or gas odors directly to SDG&E at 1-800-411-7343, in line with the company’s safety guidance (SDG&E). For immediate hazards, officials advise calling 9-1-1 and monitoring local broadcasters for rolling coverage.
