Portions of Gretna were without power for a period of time Thursday after a hydro pole fire just before 4 p.m. Gretna Fire Department was called to the scene north of town near the Enbridge pipeline tank farm.
The upper three lines on the pole are a 66,000v line that feeds Enbridge, and because the top of the pole burned off, the high voltage lines were hanging above the regular power lines that feed Gretna. According to the fire department, the potential for the lines to short was high.
Firefighters maintained their distance, and controlled traffic until Manitoba Hydro took control of the scene.
In a tweet from Manitoba Hydro Friday morning, they noted pole fires are a common cause of outages in Spring. The tweet indicated grime on insulators, combined with light snow or rain, can create a pathway for electricity to travel from the power line to the wood pole causing a fire and power outage.
Gretna Fire Department is reminding any one who sees a hydro pole fire to call 9-1-1 immediately, and not take matters into their own hands.
Sat, May 18, 9:39 AM
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