An excavator struck an overhead cable line on 44 Street near 47 Avenue on the morning of June 30, damaging two utility poles and causing a short-lived tree fire and power outage.
Chief Lorne Thompson of the Olds Fire Department said when the excavator struck the line at about 10:30 a.m. it caused the utility poles to sag toward the east.
A 14,400-volt power line extending along the damaged utility pole network in the area came in contact with a tree, he added, which sparked a small fire in the tree.
FortisAlberta arrived on scene to cut power to the line and the fire went out on its own, Thompson said, but a number of properties in the area were without power for part of the day.
No one was injured.
A FortisAlberta spokeswoman said 40 customers in the area were without power because of the incident.
An extra crew from the utility company was on scene to help restore power and power was completely restored by 3:39 p.m., she said.
Thompson said people working in heavy machinery near utility lines need to take a careful look at their surroundings.
"If (the operator) had struck that 14,400 (-volt power line), he wouldn't have survived," he said.
peverest@olds.greatwest.ca
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