NEW ORLEANS — Something the New Orleans Fire Department categorized as an electrical vault fire plunged a large swath of the city's Central Business District into darkness shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday.
The area was still dark as of 11:30 p.m. and the Entergy outage map indicated a possible restoration by 12:30 a.m. Sunday.
According to NOLA Fire Dept. Twitter page, an electrical vault caught fire and it is coming from underground.
The fire has reportedly knocked out power to about 400 customers in the CBD.
An Eyewitness News crew driving through the city noted several blocks on Poydras Street and the surrounding areas were without working street lights and traffic lights and several buildings appeared to be dark.
While it may only be 400 customers, according to the Entergy outage map, those buildings include large hotels, some restaurants and bars.
Pedestrians could be seen walking in the dark, while cars were moving cautiously, making intersections without working traffic lights into four-way stops.