Five utility workers were injured in an explosion in an underground Department of Water and Power electrical vault near 3744 North Barham Boulevard Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the location just before 2 p.m. for a reported electrocution, LAFD spokeswoman Margaret Stewart said.
When responders arrived, five employees had varying degrees of burns and smoke inhalation injuries, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, Stewart said. All patients were alert, conscious, talking, and were in fair condition. There was no active fire hazard and the power was confirmed to be off.
The men were transported to a local hospital.
The explosion caused a power outage in the area, as crews worked to repair the damage. There was no estimated time of restoration. About 17 customers were affected, DWP said.
#Barham #UniversalCity Outage: An underground vault explosion that occurred today caused non-life threatening injuries to 5 LADWP power employees. All employees were alert & transported for medical care. Approx. 17 commercial customers are without power. No ETR at this time.
— LADWP (@LADWP) August 18, 2022
