On August 24, 2026, an underground electrical vault fire in Long Beach, California, caused a widespread blackout that left more than 20,000 homes and businesses without electricity. Southern California Edison reported that the incident initially affected over 25,000 customers before crews began restoring service.
The blaze originated inside an underground power vault, a sealed enclosure that houses electrical equipment and distribution lines. When the fire ignited, it disrupted the flow of electricity through the network, triggering an automatic shutdown that extended across a large portion of the city. The fire was contained quickly, but the damage to the vault’s components required extensive repairs before power could be safely restored.
Southern California Edison dispatched emergency response teams to the site within minutes of the outage. Crews worked around the clock to assess the damage, replace affected equipment, and re‑energize the grid. The utility issued regular updates to the public, indicating that restoration efforts were progressing but that some areas might remain without power for several hours.
Residents and business owners in the affected neighborhoods reported loss of lighting, refrigeration, and access to electronic devices. Many businesses cited potential revenue loss as they were unable to operate normal sales functions. The utility advised customers to conserve any remaining battery power and to avoid unnecessary use of generators until power was fully restored.
The Long Beach outage follows the recent underground vault fire, highlighting the vulnerability of buried electrical infrastructure to fire incidents. While the cause of the ignition has not been disclosed, officials emphasized that safety inspections and maintenance of underground vaults remain a priority to prevent similar disruptions in the future. Southern California Edison continues to monitor the situation and will provide further updates as restoration work proceeds.