UPDATE: Lights back on for PG&E customers

UPDATE 10/18/15 11:47 PM: PG&E reports power has been restored to the peninsula.

UPDATE 10/18/15 11:25 PM: PG&E reports about 26,000 people are still without power Sunday night. PG&E doesn’t expect a full restoration until 12:10 a.m., but more and more people on the peninsula are getting their power and electricity back.

UPDATE 10/18/15 6:40 PM: PG&E said damage to a transmission tower and multiple lines in Moss Landing caused a widespread power outage across the Monterey Peninsula.

28,000 people are without power, down from nearly 56,000 early Sunday morning.

PG&E has hired an independent firm, Exponent, to help determine the cause of the damage at the company’s Moss Landing transmission yard. The yard is located near the power plant.

PG&E added it doesn’t believe a third party caused the damage to the tower and can’t confirm if there was an explosion, despite earlier reports from dispatchers.

UPDATE 10/18/15 3:03 PM: Pacific Gas and Electric Company officials said all power should be fully restored by 11:00 p.m.

PG&E said there are still 30,000 people in Monterey County without power.

UPDATE 10/18/15 1:55 PM: Pacific Gas and Electric Company officials said they have restored power for over 15,000 people.

But 40,000 others are still without electricity.

They said they are working on an assessment for an estimate time on when power will be fully restored.

UPDATE 10/18/15 11:15 AM: 55,700 people are without power in Monterey County, possibly after a high-voltage transmission line fell in Moss Landing early this morning, according to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

The actual cause of the outage is still under investigation.

Some of the areas affected include Castroville, Seaside, Monterey, Carmel and Pacific Grove.

PG&E said their local emergency operation center is working as quickly as possible to safely restore power to all of their customers.

UPDATE 10/18/15 9:00 AM: An early Sunday morning explosion at a Moss Landing power plant might be the cause for a major power outage across the Monterey Peninsula, according to Santa Cruz County Emergency Communications.

Reports of an “explosion” came in at about 7 a.m. on Sunday. There is still no word on how severe the explosion was.

More than 55,000 customers have been without power since about 7 am. PG & E says it’s working to identify the outage source and doesn’t know the cause yet.