022002- Power outage sweeps southern Fenton... -
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Published on: 2/20/2002
Last Visited: 2/20/2002
By approximately 8 a.m., Consumers Energy had restored power to over half of those affected, and had completely restored power to the area before the morning was over, according to Consumers Energy Spokesman, Kevin Keane.
Keane estimated that the outage, which occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. was caused when trees and power wires came in contact at the Hill Road substation.
Classes at State Road Elementary were briefly delayed while students waited on busses while the power was restored.
Keane said crews had been in the process of replacing old wires with stronger, wider wires, to more efficiently distribute power from the Denton Hill substation.
To ensure power was not lost during the process, Keane said crews moved the old wires to the outside of the poles while they installed the new wires.
Mild winds may have had enough force for the older wires to come in contact with the tree limbs, he said.
One wire, Keane said, broke in half and completely burned up the primary conductor - lines that take power from the substation to surrounding neighborhoods - with enough intensity in heat to burn the wire to the ground and tripping the main circuit at the Denton Hill substation.
"Electricity will always seek the fastest and easiest way to the ground," Keane said.
Keane said that as crews worked hard at restoring power, forestry services had also been contacted to trim the limbs of trees deemed too close to the wires so that the project may continue.
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