Total darkness

I was with a group of people and we were in a small room.  You could only get to the room by climbing up a ladder through a hole in the floor.  We were doing something that required using electricity.  All of a sudden the room went entirely black.  I could not see anything it was so dark.  Somebody said the owner had been threatening to shut off the electricity if we continued doing whatever it was we were doing.  I suggested maybe we just blew a fuse and the lights would be on shortly.