Residents at Fairways 5 Apartments on the Northwest Side say they went without power for several hours — and in some cases, days — over the weekend as temperatures were high.
Management told KSAT the issue began with a CPS Energy issue and that the property has worked with the utility to resolve it.
One resident, Jennifer Arguello, said the outage made conditions inside apartments unbearable as temperatures climbed, leaving families scrambling for alternatives.
Arguello, who has a 1-year-old child, said her family worked to keep their toddler out of a nearly 90-degree apartment.
“Everybody’s struggling right now, and then with little kids who have no say so, no voice, and the elderly who are living here needing the electricity because they’re on oxygen … just with the heat itself,” Arguello said.
Arguello said while she was out running errands on Saturday, her son and husband heard a transformer blow.
Fairways 5 Apartments property management emailed KSAT saying the property “recently experienced a temporary electrical outage resulting from damage associated with electrical infrastructure after utility work in the area.”
Though the outage began as one building losing power, the entire property lost power after work began to fix the initial outage.
During a phone call with KSAT and Fairways 5 Apartments, management said, “We had an issue on our side with a building, and then CPS (Energy) came and said, ‘We need a part to fix that building,’ and they said, well, we can’t give that to you till Monday,” the manager said. “Then, CPS (Energy) tried to bypass that line, and it put the rest of the property out. All power off.”
Management said crews began responding immediately and provided an outline of the issues addressed and the repair timeline.
“Throughout the event, our highest priority has been the safety and well-being of our residents,” the emailed statement from Fairways 5 Apartments management said.
Arguello said the outage quickly became expensive. Arguello said her family stayed in a budget-friendly hotel for two nights, that all their groceries spoiled, and they had to buy meals, which totaled about $640 between Saturday and early Tuesday morning, when the power returned.
KSAT reached out to CPS Energy for details. A CPS Energy spokesperson said crews responded to the outage and “successfully completed all necessary repairs to CPS Energy-owned equipment.” When asked to confirm whether a transformer blew, CPS Energy said the “initial cause of the outage was equipment failure.”
As of Tuesday, the complex said it restored temporary power to every unit with generators operating on-site. During a call with the property’s CEO, KSAT was told the temporary generator setup is costly, totaling about $30,000 per week to keep running.
CPS Energy did not clarify whether a transformer had blown, as mentioned by both residents and property management.
“Everybody needs to be held accountable,” Arguello said.
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