THUNDER BAY – Last night’s thunderstorm came in quick and left a path of downed powerlines and other misfortunes. Platoon Chief John Kaplanis from Thunder Bay Fire Rescue says that the storm that hit just before 10:00 pm on July 15, 2020 took down a lot of trees and powerlines in Westfort.
“Thunder Bay Fire Rescue crews responded to a high call volume of “wires down” calls in addition to trees down on various structures during this time. TBFR were able to keep fire crews on the road to attend to these incidents as many of the calls for assistance involved live or arcing hydro wires on the ground or in elevated locations in trees and rooftops.”
With the assistance of fire dispatchers taking a high volume of 911 calls during the storm, TBFR was able to respond and secure these incidents before hydro workers could be called out to attend and repair downed lines.
TBFR notes that since the storm occurred as it was getting dark, many of the downed wires in many locations may not be discovered until daylight today. Residents and business owners in the Thunder Bay area are reminded to stay away from downed hydro lines, and call your hydro provider if you do discover your hydro service is interrupted at all. If hydro lines are arcing or causing fire, call 911 immediately and do not go near them.
