By Sara Beth Williams–
A solo-vehicle crash early Sunday morning just before 5 a.m. knocked out power to residents in Citrus Heights according to Sgt. Ryan Smith of the Citrus Heights Police Department.
The incident occurred at Sunrise Boulevard, where a vehicle struck a power pole, causing it to be completed severed from its base. Smith said the driver did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol and the department “is not sure how it happened.”
SMUD’s outage map showed thousands of customers in Citrus Heights and neighboring jurisdictions without power at the height of the disruption. Residents reported outages across the city, with affected areas ranging from Sunrise Boulevard at Twin Oaks Avenue to Greenback Lane and Auburn Boulevard to Antelope Road and PFE Road, according to social media posts from local city groups.
Smith noted that widespread outages had already been reported prior to the crash, and while the collision worsened the situation, it was not the “sole cause” of the citywide power failures.
SMUD representatives Monday morning could not confirm with The Sentinel whether earlier power outages had occurred before the collision with the power pole.
Northbound lanes of Sunrise Boulevard between Highland Avenue and Larwin Drive were closed for several hours while SMUD crews replaced the pole. The roadway fully reopened by 2 p.m., authorities said.
