Trojan football fans attending USC’s first home game against Utah State this past Saturday were briefly plunged into darkness at the LA Coliseum.
It was the latest in a series of power outages caused by a dangerous heatwave in the region that prompted officials to warn residents to stay indoors. The excessive heat, which neared 110 degrees, left many in the Adams-Normandie, Exposition Park and University Park area without power.
According to the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, extreme weather events, like a prolonged heatwave, can strain the utility’s equipment, causing power outages city wide. During this heatwave, LADWP said more than 5,000 residents were left without power.
“This could be the new normal with climate extremes that we’ve seen,” a LADWP spokesperson told Annenberg Media about the high temperatures.
The spokesperson said the situation was particularly unique because the a majority of the outages affected relatively small numbers of customers, meaning it took crews a significant amount of work for lines that would only restore power to dozens of people at a time.
Junior Grace Love said her power was out for several hours.
“My roommates were cooking and, for about an hour, the electricity would go in and out for a couple seconds, and then at around 3 p.m., it just went out,” Love said.
LADWP said it has been upgrading its equipment yearly and hopes to “ensure the reliability of [its] infrastructure.”
As for those at the game, the fourth quarter power outage surprised many in the 75,000 capacity stadium. According to a spokesperson for the stadium, the power went out for a few minutes before generators were able to kick in.
For long-time USC football fan and freshman Hunter Hales, the power outage was an unexpected interruption to the game. Hales has attended Trojan football games since he was 3-years old, but this was his first game as a USC student.
“It was pretty loud and noticeable,” Hales said. “I heard that it was hard to see the ball and that the other team was complaining.”
Sophomore Ben Llados was extremely confused while sitting in the stands with his friends.
“I didn’t know what it was about, or what caused it, so it was a little bit concerning,” said sophomore Ben Llados. “Most of us were just confused on what happened.”
During a power outage, LADWP encourages residents to consider seeking shelter at one of the city’s cooling centers. Other tips included keeping a flashlight and batteries on hand, making sure electronics are charged or having an extra portable battery pack and turning off or unplugging any electronics to help in service restorations
This story has been updated to provide additional context and clarity.