10 A.M. UPDATE: Crews continue repairs to restore 600 Chinatown customers, outage likely to last until midnight

10 A.M. UPDATE: Crews continue repairs to restore 600 Chinatown customers, outage likely to last until midnight

Release Date: 6/19/2024

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HONOLULU, June 19, 2024 - More than 50 Hawaiian Electric crew members and technicians today are working to restore power to approximately 600 customers in the Chinatown area who have been without power since a fire damaged underground power cables and other equipment Monday night.

After restoring power to the bulk of the affected customers Tuesday night, crews discovered significant portions of the remaining damaged cables and the ducts that carry conduits under the street had melted and fused, requiring painstaking work to identify, remove and replace the damaged wiring.

Due to the complexity of the additional repair work, the estimated time of restoration for the affected customers is midnight Wednesday, but if additional challenges are encountered the outage may continue into Thursday. It's possible small numbers of customers may be restored before then and Hawaiian Electric will continue to provide updates on the progress of the repairs.

These affected customers consist largely of small businesses and restaurants in Chinatown, along with several larger commercial buildings. Repair crews will continue to rotate in shifts so the restoration work can continue until the repairs are complete and service restored.