Underground electrical blast closes part of Spring Street downtown, no injuries

Authorities evacuated four downtown L.A. buildings and closed part of Spring Street today after an explosion in an underground electrical vault. There were no reports of injuries.

Investigators believe the blowout was probably caused by a faulty wire, said Brooks Baker, a spokesman for the Department of Water and Power. An electrical crew is at the scene. The vault had to be de-energized for the crew to enter, causing outages for 83 customers, Baker said.

Firefighters who were dispatched to the scene about 10:30 a.m. evacuated four buildings that had lost power, said d’Lisa Davies, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles Fire Department. The evacuations were a precautionary measure so firefighters could check for electrical fires, she said. None were found, and people were allowed back in to the buildings about 1 p.m.

Spring Street will remain closed between 3rd and 5th streets while the investigation is underway, Davies said. Traffic is being diverted between Broadway and Main streets and from 3rd to 5th streets, she said.

Read a previous post on the underground electrical blast.

-- Alexandra Zavis