Watertown Fire Rescue responded to multiple reports of downed power lines during last night’s storm. Just before 7:00 PM, crews were dispatched to the intersection of 11th Street and 1st Avenue NE, where they found that a tree had fallen onto the power lines, causing them to drop onto several vehicles parked in a nearby driveway. Upon arrival, the crews confirmed that the power line was no longer energized.
While addressing this situation, WFR crews received another call at 7:05 PM regarding two power poles lying across the roadway at 1528 17th Street SE, just north of the Premier Softball complex. When they arrived, they discovered that two power poles had snapped off, causing a large power line to make contact with a residence on the west side of the road. Initially, this downed power line was energized, resulting in a burn mark on the home and damaging the gas line outside the residence. The gas was promptly shut off, and crews assessed the damage to ensure there were no fires extending into the interior of the structure.
At 7:54 PM, crews were dispatched to another downed power line in the 1700 block of 4th Avenue SW. They found that a tree had fallen onto a power line, causing it to fall to the ground. Crews secured the area and waited for Municipal Utilities to arrive.
Watertown Fire Rescue was assisted at all scenes by the Watertown Police Department and Watertown Municipal Utilities. WFR would like to remind the public that during widespread incidents, it is crucial to stay inside and off the roadway. Crews encountered several vehicles attempting to navigate around emergency vehicles with activated lights, as well as cars that did not pull over, which delayed their response to multiple calls for service.