Explosion At Power Station Plunges Northern Part Of Puerto Rico Into Darkness

Nick Visser

A power station caught fire and exploded in Puerto Rico on Sunday, causing blackouts in the city of San Juan and the northern part of the island, authorities said.

Puerto Rico’s Electric Power Authority (PREPA) said the explosion took some 400 megawatts of power generation offline. The agency is working to restore service to customers and noted on Twitter that some areas were already experiencing the return of electricity on Sunday night.

PREPA spokesman Carlos Monroig told CNN the blast was caused by a mechanical failure.

An explosion at a power station plunged parts of northern Puerto Rico into darkness on Sunday evening. (Photo: RICARDO ARDUENGO via Getty Images)
An explosion at a power station plunged parts of northern Puerto Rico into darkness on Sunday evening. (Photo: RICARDO ARDUENGO via Getty Images)

Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan, said on Twitter late Sunday that there were no injuries reported following the incident:

Nearly six months after the region was devastated by Hurricane Maria, power has been restored to 75 percent of the island’s residents. However, around 400,000 people were still living without electricity.

The explosion occurred as officials scrambled to repair an aging power grid that was already in dire need of upgrades before Puerto Rico was hit by the hurricane, The Associated Press reported. The Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said last month that he planned to privatize the beleaguered PREPA.

“The Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority does not work and cannot continue to operate like this,” Rosselló said in a speech in January, per NPR. “With that PREPA, we cannot face the risks of living in an area of high vulnerability to catastrophic events.”

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A woman reacts while looking at the damage to her house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guayama, Puerto Rico. 
A woman reacts while looking at the damage to her house after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria in Guayama, Puerto Rico. 
Toys are seen in a damaged house  in Guayama. 
Toys are seen in a damaged house  in Guayama. 
Lightposts lay on the ground after being damaged in San Juan. 
Lightposts lay on the ground after being damaged in San Juan. 
Fishing boats with severe damage at Club Nautico in the San Juan Bay. 
Fishing boats with severe damage at Club Nautico in the San Juan Bay. 
A damaged supermarket in Guayama. 
A damaged supermarket in Guayama. 
 A mattress, that fell from the third floor lays at ground level surrounded with debris from neighboring apartments at Ciudadela complex in Santurce. 
 A mattress, that fell from the third floor lays at ground level surrounded with debris from neighboring apartments at Ciudadela complex in Santurce. 
A man runs on the street next to debris and damaged in Guayama. 
A man runs on the street next to debris and damaged in Guayama. 
A woman reacts while she looks at the damages in the house of her mother in Guayama.
A woman reacts while she looks at the damages in the house of her mother in Guayama.
A damaged banana plantation in Guayama. 
A damaged banana plantation in Guayama. 
A car is viewed stuck in a flooded street in Santurce, in San Juan. 
A car is viewed stuck in a flooded street in Santurce, in San Juan. 
A gas station is damaged in San Juan. 
A gas station is damaged in San Juan. 
Trees block the streets at Escambron Beach in San Juan. 
Trees block the streets at Escambron Beach in San Juan. 
An uprooted tree in San Juan. 
An uprooted tree in San Juan. 
Residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico, deal with damage to their homes on Sept. 20, 2017, as Hurricane Maria batters the island.
Residents of San Juan, Puerto Rico, deal with damage to their homes on Sept. 20, 2017, as Hurricane Maria batters the island.
Damage is seen in Guayama, Puerto Rico. 
Damage is seen in Guayama, Puerto Rico. 
Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, cutting power on most of the U.S. territory as residents hunkered down in the face of the island's worst storm in living memory.
Maria slammed into Puerto Rico on Sept. 20, 2017, cutting power on most of the U.S. territory as residents hunkered down in the face of the island's worst storm in living memory.
Rescue workers help people after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria.
Rescue workers help people after the area was hit by Hurricane Maria.

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.