STOCKTON-
PG&E crews will be working through the night in Stockton to repair damage from an accident that happened at 8:30 in the morning.
As of 9 p.m., 669 customers near the Stockton Airport were still without power.
The problems started when a dump truck, driven by 55-year-old Jay Charles White of Stockton, crashed into a series of power poles along Alpine Road. White, a San Joaquin County employee, was arrested on suspicion of DUI.
When he hit the power poles, live wires came crashing to the ground. A line carrying 60,000 volts landed on one designed to carry only 12,000 volts. That sent a surge of power through homes and businesses near Highway 99 and Arch Road, initially knocking out power to 5,800 customers.
According to PG&E, customers without extensive damage should by back online by 7 a.m. Tuesday. But the electrical surge damaged a lot of wiring inside homes. Some will require extensive repairs by contractors before PG&E can connect them back to the power grid.