Two El Paso Electric employees were injured as they worked on electric lines, authorities said.
The incident happened in the morning on Wednesday, April 15, at El Paso Electric’s Montwood substation near Rich Beem Boulevard in far East El Paso.
“We can confirm that two El Paso Electric employees were injured and transported to a local hospital following an incident today,” an El Paso Electric statement released by spokesman Jacob Reyes stated.
“Our thoughts are with our employees and their families, and we are focused on supporting them during this time. We will provide updates as appropriate.”
One of the employees was taken to a hospital by Fire STAR ambulance helicopter and the other was transported by ambulance to a hospital, El Paso Fire Department spokesman Hector Gonzalez said.
El Paso Electric’s statement originally said one employee was airlifted to a burn center in Lubbock, Texas, for specialized care. Reyes issued a correction stating the employees were being treated at an El Paso hospital.
The names and conditions of the employees have not been released.
The incident happened before large power outages were reported in East El Paso. Officials have not said if the incidents were related. The outages were reported about 10:50 a.m. and impacted about 5,237 customers.
The outages were caused when an “arc flash occurred on a distribution line,” Reyes said.
An arc flash is “when a flashover of electric current leaves its intended path and travels through the air from one conductor to another,” according to the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors.
The largest outages were in Horizon City, affecting 3,075 customers, and near Cielo Vista Mall and The Fountains at Farah, impacting 1,787 customers. El Paso Electric crews restored power before 1 p.m.
Aaron Martinez covers the criminal justice system for the El Paso Times. He may be reached at amartinez1@elpasotimes.com.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: 2 El Paso Electric employees injured
Reporting by Aaron Martinez, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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