A utility company has reported that more than 217,000 customers are without power across several municipalities in Puerto Rico following an explosion and fire at a LUMA Energy substation in Carolina. The incident has disrupted electricity service in multiple communities, leaving a large number of residents and businesses in the dark. Officials from the utility confirmed the scale of the outage as emergency crews respond to the damaged facility.

The blackout stems directly from the explosion and subsequent fire at the Carolina substation, which serves a significant portion of the surrounding area. As crews work to contain the damage and restore service, questions are emerging about the cause of the blast, the timeline for full power recovery, and the broader reliability of the island’s energy infrastructure. Residents in the affected municipalities are now waiting for updates on when electricity will return and how long the disruption may last.