The Laredo underground electric network serving the downtown area failed Thursday evening shortly before 6 p.m., affecting 143 electric customers.  Two underground explosions occurred at the time of the failure but no one was injured from the blasts.

Underground network crews from Corpus Christi were dispatched immediately to assist Laredo crews with power restoration. These crews have been working throughout the night to assess damage and restore service to areas where the equipment is not damaged.

It is estimated that 105 of the 143 mostly commercial customers will be back in service by 2 p.m. today. AEP Texas is calling in additional underground network crews from Columbus, OH, to work around the clock to restore service to the remaining 38 customers. An estimated time of restoration of the remaining customers will be given once a complete damage assessment has been made.

AEP Texas will continue to inform these customers of the outage status.

Customers are asked to not use a generator until AEP Texas isolates its electric system. Portable generators can “back feed” electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. AEP Texas will notify affected customers when it is safe to connect portable generators.