Puerto Rico blackout ends

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Cheers erupted as lights slowly began to flicker on across Puerto Rico overnight as the U.S. territory struggled to emerge from an island-wide blackout following a fire at a power plant that caused the aging utility grid to fail. More than 390,000 of 1.5 million homes and businesses served by the power utility had electricity restored by late Thursday, with cries of, “The lights are back on!” echoing through some neighbourhoods. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said he expected more than half of customers to have power by Friday morning. “The number is rising rapidly,” he said, adding that 90 per cent of customers will likely have power by Saturday. However, he cautioned: “Problems may arise. I don’t want to create false expectations.” Postmedia Wire Services