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Expensive mistake in Mount Pleasant
By Safety Officer Christopher Eno
January 16, 2010
At 2:05 PM on Saturday, January 16, Station 4-9 was dispatched to the 300 block of Churchtown Road in the Mount Pleasant section of Salisbury Township for a utility pole. Lancaster County 911 advised the responding units of a tree down across the roadway with live wires down.
Arriving units corrected the location to the 200 block, confirmed the report and requested Frontier Telephone and PPL Electric to the scene. The farmer had started a controlled burning earlier, which spread to the adjoining grass and the tree. The tree started to burn partway up the trunk; the farmer tried to cut the tree down, but the tree accidentally fell in the opposite direction and took out the utility lines and poles and blocked the road.
After Frontier Telephone and PPL Electric assessed the scene, and PPL cut the electric power, Engine 4-9-1's crew and the farmer removed the tree from the roadway.
Traffic was detoured off Churchtown Road between Wanner and Guy Roads while the scene was cleaned up.
Station 4-9 units cleared the scene at 3:52PM and turned the scene over to the utility companies, which were working to restore electric and phone service to the area.
Units:
Engine 4-9-1
This burning tree fell and completely blocked Churchtown Road.
The tree also ripped down telephone wires and electric wires and poles.
This pole was completely snapped off from the force and weight of the tree on the electric wires.
The telephone cable was completely ripped in two
Engine 4-9-1 on the south side of the scene
Frontier Telephone and PPL Electric arrive on the scene to assess the situation
With the electric power to the lines cut, Engine 4-9-1's crew sets to work clearing the road.
The farmer's two skidloaders were used to remove the pieces of the tree from the roadway
The farmer attempted to cut the tree down and have it fall one way, but the tree had other plans and fell the other way.
