UPDATED, 5:26 p.m.: Power to the affected areas was fully restored by 3:14 p.m., said David Song of Southern California Edison. Power was affected in an area encompassed by Arcadia Avenue to the north, Live Oak Avenue to the south, Santa Anita Avenue to the east and Baldwin Avenue to the west.
The outage may have been due to a lightning strike, but officials could not positively confirm the cause of the blown transformer, Song said.
The flash flood warning has been extended until 6:30 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
UPDATED, 5:01 p.m.: Edison crews turned off power to a broader area in order to repair the transformer. The larger outage resulted in power being affected at a medical building in the 600 block of West Duarte Road. A patron of the building was rescued by authorities from an elevator, said Beth Stogner of the Arcadia Fire Department.
PREVIOUSLY: A Flash Flood Warning has been issued for the Central Los Angeles County area, including Arcadia, officials announced Thursday afternoon.
The National Weather Service has detected a strong and nearly stationary thunderstorm that may produce rainfall at the rate of one inch per hour, according to information released by Arcadia Police.
The NWS has also emphasized La Canada Flintridge, Altadena, Montrose and Pasadena as vulnerable areas for flooding. Frequent lightning and small hail are also predicted, officials said.
A power outage was reported in the area of Lowell and Naomi avenues around 1:50 p.m. About 504 customers were without power in the area, according to information provided by the Southern California Edison web site. Equipment problems were to blame for the outage, but if that was weather related was not immediately known.
Officers on scene at the blown transformer reportedly observed active fire on the transformer, according to scanner reports.
Scattered showers and thunderstorms are predicted for the remainder of the day and into the night, with a 50 percent chance of precipitation.
This story will continue to be updated as information becomes available.
Have any storm photos? Upload them to Patch and share with the community.
