Date: Fri 16-Apr-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: ANDYG

Quick Words:

weather-power-outage

Full Text:

Fallen Limb Brings Sandy Hook To A Halt

(with photos)

BY ANDREW GOROSKO

High winds Tuesday afternoon caused a large tree limb to snap and fall over a

utility pole crossarm near 58 Glen Road in Sandy Hook, bringing down a primary

electrical line into the street. It also brought down computers, fax machines,

cash registers and every other electrical necessity of daily life throughout

Sandy Hook Center.

The fallen wire caused a small brush fire and an electrical outage that lasted

for almost five hours in some sections of Sandy Hook.

Sandy Hook and Newtown Hook and Ladder firefighters responded to the downed

wires about 3:15 pm.

The electrical cable fell in the vicinity of passing traffic on Glen Road near

Shorewood Fine Art Reproductions, Inc.

Several motorists found themselves in the area where the wires had fallen. It

was unclear to firefighters if the fallen lines were live wires and there were

some anxious moments as motorists caught in the mess tried to drive away.

Police officer Phil Hynes ordered an elderly woman driver not to move until it

was determined whether the electrical lines in front of the car were

energized.

After a firefighter using an electrical sensor determined that the fallen

lines were dead, drivers were allowed to leave the area.

The fallen wire caused a half-acre brush fire on an embankment between Glen

Road and Black Bridge Road, said Sandy Hook Volunteer Fire and Rescue Chief

Bill Halstead. Firefighters using a water line extended from a fire truck

extinguished the blaze in about 15 minutes, he said. There were no injuries.

The fallen tree limb caused two electrical circuits in Sandy Hook to fail,

said Northeast Utilities spokesman Frank Poirot. From about 3:15 to 5 pm,

1,331 customers were without electricity. Of that number, 488 customers did

not have their power restored until 7:55 pm, he said.

A section of Glen Road was closed to traffic until the fallen tree could be

removed. Traffic was detoured onto Riverside Road and Cherry Street.

After the traffic signal in Sandy Hook Center failed due to the electrical

outage, police directed traffic there.

The outage also blacked out traffic controls on Church Hill Road near

Interstate 84.