A work crew accidentally ruptured an underground electrical line while digging in a North County neighborhood this afternoon, knocking out power to about 2,200 homes and businesses.
The construction accident near the intersection of Stevens Avenue and Genevieve Street in Solana Beach was reported about 12:45 p.m., according to San Diego Gas & Electric.
The resulting blackout affected addresses from the ocean shoreline to Interstate 5, and between Via de la Valle to the south and San Elijo Lagoon to the north, SDG&E spokeswoman April Sharp said.
By late afternoon, power had been restored to all but about 700 customers. Additionally, 271 residential and commercial properties in the same general area were without electrical service due to a second, unrelated outage.
All affected addresses were expected to be back on line by early evening, Sharp said.
Contractors can avoid such mishaps by calling an underground-utilities hotline that provides information about the location of buried equipment, the spokeswoman noted. The number for the service is 811.
