A tractor-trailer crashed into multiple telephone poles and ripped down power lines in Manhattan Beach on Monday morning, leaving hundreds of people without electricity.
The details of the crash were not immediately clear, but Con Edison representative Alan Drury said the crash occurred at 1315 Oriental Boulevard around 10:30 a.m. on April 29. The truck — which appeared to have fled the scene — tore down eight telephone poles and at least two transformers, leaving the street littered with wires and debris.
One downed transformer caught fire, according to the FDNY, and leaked hazardous Polychlorinated Biphenyls, or PCBs, into the roadway, drawing a response from 60 firefighters and paramedics. The fire was brought under control by 12:35 p.m. and one person was treated for minor injuries on the scene.
“This is insane and crazy, the truck was backing up, I heard a loud crash and suddenly saw wires everywhere,” said local resident Olga Ivanovich.
The crash left 382 households across four blocks without electricity. Con Edison crews are on the scene and hope to restore power overnight.
“This is wild, it is a perception matter,” a ConEd rep told Brooklyn Paper by phone. “There are so many wires down, we’ll have to keep crews here overnight.”
Last spring, a tractor-trailer snagged a utility wire and pulled down a telephone pole in nearly the same location, at the corner of Oriental Boulevard and Langham Street, according to CBS News.
