A localized power outage left more than 3,000 South Los Angeles residents without electricity Wednesday and into the following days as temperatures rose into the 90s. The interruption lasted at least 24 hours for some households and two full days at Carnicería Sanchez Meat Market, where the loss of refrigeration threatened the store’s perishable inventory.
The outage centered around 41st Street Place near South Main Street, according to ABC7 Los Angeles. Residents told the station they repeatedly contacted the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power as the blackout continued. Jason, one of the affected residents, said he went without power for a full 24 hours. “It's miserable. Couldn't sleep last night,” he said.
Why the Grid Buckled in the Heat
LADWP attributed the outage to extreme heat and humidity straining its equipment, according to the utility’s account relayed by ABC7. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health had warned of the conditions behind the risk: the National Weather Service issued an Extreme Heat Warning for parts of Los Angeles County covering Wednesday, September 9, through Thursday, September 10. High humidity can make it harder for the body to cool itself, while overnight temperatures in the 70s can limit the time electrical equipment has to cool between periods of peak demand.
LADWP reported several outage locations across South Los Angeles as demand increased. The utility said response times for localized neighborhood outages during the September 9-10 heatwave ranged from four to 12 hours after an outage began, largely because of overloaded distribution equipment, according to LADWP News. More than 90 field crews worked across the city, including overnight, to repair overheated transformers and circuits, with the oldest outages prioritized.
What the longer-term record shows
The current outage was smaller than earlier systemwide heat emergencies. According to LADWP’s 2025-26 Power Infrastructure Plan, severe heat storms in 2006 and 2007 caused widespread, prolonged outages and the loss of more than 800 transformers. The same plan says LADWP had no Major Event Days in 2024, a systemwide reliability measure that does not describe the current South Los Angeles outage. It lists a fiscal-year 2025-26 budget of $1.87 billion for the Power System Reliability Program.
A Structural Weak Point in the City's Grid
The episode illustrates the difference between broad grid reliability and block-level vulnerability. LADWP’s account describes equipment and circuit problems concentrated in neighborhood outage areas, meaning a localized failure can persist even while most of the city remains powered.
The utility’s recent history also includes larger heat-related disruptions. A September 2024 heatwave left more than 130,000 LADWP customers without power, according to Patch. Hoodline has reported other heat-driven outages this year, including a multi-day Echo Park blackout in late August.
Racing Against Spoiled Food and No AC
For residents such as Jalyn Erazo, the outage meant finding ways to keep food cold; ABC7 reported that Erazo stored food in an icebox. Federal food-safety guidance says perishable food in an unopened refrigerator is generally safe for up to four hours during a power outage. Meat, poultry, fish, eggs and leftovers should then be discarded, according to FoodSafety.gov. A full freezer can retain safe temperatures for up to 48 hours if it remains closed.
That timeline posed a serious risk to Carnicería Sanchez Meat Market after two days without power. Recovery of spoiled-food losses may depend on whether LADWP is found negligent. The utility’s claims policy, cited by the Sylmar Neighborhood Council, requires itemized lists and purchase receipts submitted within six months of an incident. Business owners and residents may otherwise need to rely on insurance policies, which can carry deductibles.
What LADWP and the City Are Asking Residents to Do
LADWP encouraged residents to use city cooling centers while repairs continued and expected to finish repairs by Friday, per the ABC7 report. Power was restored to most of South Los Angeles by 11 p.m., though the restoration timing for the rest of the affected area was not known. Los Angeles County’s cooling-center directory says listed sites generally offer public access during posted hours, air conditioning, bathrooms, drinking water and ADA accessibility unless site notes indicate otherwise.
During severe heatwaves, LADWP urges residents to set air conditioning thermostats to 78 degrees and avoid running major appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, and ovens during peak demand hours between late afternoon and 8 p.m., since electricity demand spikes when residential air conditioning units all run at once during the hottest part of the day. Residents experiencing outages can report them by calling 1-800-342-5397 or using ladwp.com/outages.
Drivers navigating the affected area should also be mindful that blackouts can knock out traffic signals. Intersections with dead signals should be treated as all-way stops.
