Playa del Carmen Power Outages After Transformer Blasts

Playa del Carmen — A series of electrical discharges caused at least three power transformers to explode around midnight, triggering blackouts in at least six neighborhoods of Playa del Carmen, including a section of the tourist-centric Quinta Avenida.

The initial incident occurred near the CFE Playa del Carmen substation located on Boulevard Playa del Carmen between 12th and 14th North Streets. Witnesses initially reported the explosion had occurred inside the substation itself; however, it was later confirmed to have been a transformer on a utility pole at the intersection of 14th North Street and 50th Avenue. This explosion caused the power outage in the Ejido neighborhood.

A second transformer experienced an overload on 38th North Street between Quinta Avenida and 10th North Avenue, resulting in a complete loss of electrical power for the entire city block in that zone.

The third area affected was to the west of the city in the Villas del Sol subdivision, in areas known as the Fourth and Fifth Parks. This outage also stemmed from an overload at a transformer in the substation located on the prolongation of Avenida Luis Donaldo Colosio at the entrance to the El Edén subdivision, which likewise lost power.

No injuries were reported as a result of the incidents, although hundreds of residents in the affected urban zones were left without electricity in their homes and businesses.

As of this publication's deadline, the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) had not issued any official statement regarding the events. Updates on social media indicated that electrical service was being gradually restored at low capacity, and residents were advised to disconnect electrical equipment to prevent damage to their appliances.