Semi-Truck Forces Large Power Shutdown

San Jose firefighters shut down a busy intersection south of downtown on May 21 after a semi-truck with a damaged axle came to rest next to a power pole near South First Street and East Alma Avenue. Pacific Gas and Electric Co. cut electricity to the area as a precaution after officials said the truck was at risk of rolling over and striking the pole. The San Jose Fire Department said the call came in at 9:25 a.m. and warned the shutoff could affect 7,000 to 8,000 customers. By early afternoon, traffic was closed in all directions around the intersection while fire, police, utility and transportation crews worked the scene. ### Why did a disabled truck lead to a large power shutoff? The San Jose Fire Department said the semi had a damaged rear axle and was carrying about 78,000 pounds of scrap metal when it stopped near the pole at First Street and Alma Avenue. Fire officials said the truck could damage the nearby pole if it rolled, prompting PG&E to de-energize lines in the area. (nbcbayarea.com) At about 1:20 p.m., PG&E shut down the lines at risk, according to CBS Bay Area, leaving about 7,000 customers without power in neighborhoods around downtown and south of downtown. NBC Bay Area reported the utility had earlier said the outage was expected to affect between 7,000 and 8,000 people for at least three hours. ### Where was the disruption centered? (nbcbayarea.com) South First Street and East Alma Avenue were the center of the response, in San Jose’s Spartan Keyes area, according to fire officials and local television reports. The closure spread beyond the immediate corner because crews needed room for stabilization, towing and utility work around the leaning truck and the threatened pole. (cbsnews.com) KRON4 reported traffic remained shut down in both directions at the intersection as of 3 p.m. KTVU said no injuries were reported, but the power cut and road closures disrupted travel through the neighborhood for hours. ### Which agencies were at the scene? San Jose Fire Department crews led the emergency response and said PG&E would shut down the lines at risk. (cbsnews.com) San Jose police were also at the scene, and television footage and reports described a multi-agency operation that included transportation crews managing the road closures. CBS Bay Area reported the Sacred Heart Community Service building next to the incident was evacuated as a precaution. (kron4.com) That step reflected how close the disabled truck and the utility equipment were to surrounding properties. ### Did the truck actually roll over? KTVU reported the semi-truck did not fall over. KRON4 later reported that the immediate rollover hazard had been stabilized, citing the fire department, and that the truck was expected to be towed at about 2 p.m. (nbcbayarea.com) SFGATE, citing Bay City News Service, later reported power had been partly restored after the truck was stabilized and towing operations proceeded. (cbsnews.com) That report described the vehicle as a leaning semi-truck carrying scrap metal at the same South First Street and East Alma Avenue location. ### How can residents check what happens next? PG&E directs customers to its outage center and outage status map for restoration information and current incident details. (ktvu.com) As of early May 22, PG&E's outage center showed 41 current outages systemwide and said 99.9% of customers had power, though address-level restoration details depend on the specific outage listing. May 22 is the next concrete checkpoint for residents still checking service status, because PG&E’s outage center updates current conditions and restoration information as utility work changes. (sfgate.com) Fire officials said towing and stabilization were part of the response on May 21, and any remaining customer-specific updates would come from PG&E. (pge.com)