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CNN Sunday Morning
Interview With Richard Corriea
Aired December 21, 2003 - 07:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: And topping our news this hour, blackout in the city by the bay. A substation fire blew a transformer, triggering a domino effect of power outages effecting half the city.
Cheryl Casone, of CNN affiliate KRON in San Francisco, was on the scene as theaters, restaurants and shopping centers shut down early.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERYL CASONE, KRON (voice-over): Traffic was paralyzed in downtown San Francisco. Intersections like this one, at Polk and Ellis, were blanketed in darkness. Between the hard rain and black skies, drivers seemed confused and nervous. The AMC 1000 theater on Van Ness was the scene of chaos when the blackout struck. Excited moviegoers were in the last 10 minutes of "The Lord of the Rings" movie when they heard a loud pop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody was getting read for the credits to role, but it was just kind of weird. We thought maybe that was the end, like strange ending. I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were all thinking we should start the film again and see it one more time to get the ending, to get the whole continuity. But they weren't going for that. They said the power was staying out.
CASONE: In the lobby of the theater, dozens sat patiently, hoping the lights would return and the show would go on. Those that decided to leave by car encountered a massive traffic jam in the theater parking garage. The exit gates had no power, and witnesses say there were so many cars trying to leave at once, you could smell the carbon dioxide.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fans weren't working. The large fans that supply air to the lower levels weren't working whatsoever, and a lot of carbon monoxide. People panicking for obvious reasons.
CASONE: Across the city, the power went down with no rhyme or reason. This Travelodge on Polk Street went dark, while across the alley, the Mitchell Brothers Theater had light. Patrons at this bar sat quietly, sipping their cocktails by candlelight, even though most of the staff went home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were maybe two employees left waiting just in case the lights do come back on soon. CASONE (on camera): So you're just going to head home and that's it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I'm going to get some sleep.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: Again, that was Cheryl Casone of CNN affiliate KRON in San Francisco.
What caused the fire is being investigated. Joining us on the phone right now is San Francisco police captain, Richard Corriea.
Captain, thanks a lot for joining us this morning. I know it's pretty early in the morning for you. As we understand it, still about 65,000 customers without power at this hour?
CAPT. RICHARD CORRIEA, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPT: That's correct.
CALLEBS: And other than being a big inconvenience, did this cause any kind of serious problems?
CORRIEA: Not really at this point. It seems that by it hitting at 6:00 in the evening, before things were really getting going downtown, that our calls for service and normal Saturday night police business was slower than usual. I think traffic was the main impact at this point.
CALLEBS: And what about shopping? We've heard a lot of people say, hey, I was waiting to the last minute. I planned to do a little bit on Saturday night. Hearing any frustration, perhaps, from either merchants or customers?
CORRIEA: Well, we haven't heard much because the traffic has been so gridlocked around town that we really haven't been getting around much to meet with people. But I can tell you that the stores in the downtown area were all closed after 6:00 p.m.
CALLEBS: Well, that's got to be tough. What was the cause of this? Does anybody have any idea? I mean, it seems it would be hard pressed to be overloaded at that hour.
CORRIEA: Yes. I was over at the substation earlier where this happened. But it had something to do with a fire in their equipment that was quite extensive. And some lines were actually burned inside of this substation that's a three-story building. It takes up a quarter-city block.
CALLEBS: OK. Captain, thanks for joining us this morning. We'll keep an eye on the situation, and we will continue to update the situation as the information warrants.
Thanks again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 21, 2003 - 07:01 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN ANCHOR: And topping our news this hour, blackout in the city by the bay. A substation fire blew a transformer, triggering a domino effect of power outages effecting half the city.
Cheryl Casone, of CNN affiliate KRON in San Francisco, was on the scene as theaters, restaurants and shopping centers shut down early.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHERYL CASONE, KRON (voice-over): Traffic was paralyzed in downtown San Francisco. Intersections like this one, at Polk and Ellis, were blanketed in darkness. Between the hard rain and black skies, drivers seemed confused and nervous. The AMC 1000 theater on Van Ness was the scene of chaos when the blackout struck. Excited moviegoers were in the last 10 minutes of "The Lord of the Rings" movie when they heard a loud pop.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Everybody was getting read for the credits to role, but it was just kind of weird. We thought maybe that was the end, like strange ending. I don't know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We were all thinking we should start the film again and see it one more time to get the ending, to get the whole continuity. But they weren't going for that. They said the power was staying out.
CASONE: In the lobby of the theater, dozens sat patiently, hoping the lights would return and the show would go on. Those that decided to leave by car encountered a massive traffic jam in the theater parking garage. The exit gates had no power, and witnesses say there were so many cars trying to leave at once, you could smell the carbon dioxide.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fans weren't working. The large fans that supply air to the lower levels weren't working whatsoever, and a lot of carbon monoxide. People panicking for obvious reasons.
CASONE: Across the city, the power went down with no rhyme or reason. This Travelodge on Polk Street went dark, while across the alley, the Mitchell Brothers Theater had light. Patrons at this bar sat quietly, sipping their cocktails by candlelight, even though most of the staff went home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There were maybe two employees left waiting just in case the lights do come back on soon. CASONE (on camera): So you're just going to head home and that's it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. I'm going to get some sleep.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CALLEBS: Again, that was Cheryl Casone of CNN affiliate KRON in San Francisco.
What caused the fire is being investigated. Joining us on the phone right now is San Francisco police captain, Richard Corriea.
Captain, thanks a lot for joining us this morning. I know it's pretty early in the morning for you. As we understand it, still about 65,000 customers without power at this hour?
CAPT. RICHARD CORRIEA, SAN FRANCISCO POLICE DEPT: That's correct.
CALLEBS: And other than being a big inconvenience, did this cause any kind of serious problems?
CORRIEA: Not really at this point. It seems that by it hitting at 6:00 in the evening, before things were really getting going downtown, that our calls for service and normal Saturday night police business was slower than usual. I think traffic was the main impact at this point.
CALLEBS: And what about shopping? We've heard a lot of people say, hey, I was waiting to the last minute. I planned to do a little bit on Saturday night. Hearing any frustration, perhaps, from either merchants or customers?
CORRIEA: Well, we haven't heard much because the traffic has been so gridlocked around town that we really haven't been getting around much to meet with people. But I can tell you that the stores in the downtown area were all closed after 6:00 p.m.
CALLEBS: Well, that's got to be tough. What was the cause of this? Does anybody have any idea? I mean, it seems it would be hard pressed to be overloaded at that hour.
CORRIEA: Yes. I was over at the substation earlier where this happened. But it had something to do with a fire in their equipment that was quite extensive. And some lines were actually burned inside of this substation that's a three-story building. It takes up a quarter-city block.
CALLEBS: OK. Captain, thanks for joining us this morning. We'll keep an eye on the situation, and we will continue to update the situation as the information warrants.
Thanks again.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
