CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) - Chula Vista neighbors are dealing with the aftermath of a San Diego Gas and Electric equipment malfunction that triggered a power outage and caused their homes to smoke.
Residents on Country Club Circle told 10News about the outage Saturday night. Electricity was restored and everything seemed fine, they said, but they woke up to sparked outlets, smoke and fire Sunday morning.
“Every single room sounded like someone came in with gunshots,” said Mona Hernandez. “My girls got up screaming ‘fire’ in one of the rooms and I thought they were on fire. I feared they were actually on fire until I got to see them.”
SDG&E said the equipment failure involved a transformer and affected more than 400 homes in the area.
One woman said she was concerned about her air conditioning and heating working for her son.
“He’s disabled. We need the heater to use. He's going to have open brain surgery next week. You people from SDG&E should have been out here.”
She also said her smart television was destroyed by the outage and feels she deserves more than what SDG&E is offering to replace it.
“$99 for a Toshiba smart TV is not very nice.”
SDG&E said it has representatives assisting customers with claims. One option for neighbors is to replace items then submit proof of purchase with reimbursement.
The power company also offered to send an electrician to the home of any neighbor having trouble with outlets or major appliances.
Affected residents can call SDG&E at 800-411-7343.
