Downed Power Line Sparks Brush Fire at Bashan Lake & Sunset Acres

At approximately 8:50 a.m. on Monday, firefighters from the East Haddam Volunteer Fire Department were called to the area of Bashan Road at the intersection of Lakeside Drive (Sunset Acres) in East Haddam for the report of a downed power line and small brush fire.

According to CL&P workers at the scene, gusty winds caused a branch to fall across the wires, resulting in a primary line snapping and falling onto the roadside. 

Fallen leaves on the side of the road acted as fuel and combined with the sparking live wire, igniting a fire beneath a utility pole.

Firefighters were able to knock the fire down quickly, containing it to a small area and preventing any further damage or involvement of any homes in the area.

According to CL&P spokesman Mitch Gross, "Approximately 171 customers lost power as a result of this incident, and power was restored by 9:52 a.m. Although there haven't been any other reported problems in the area, fallen trees and limbs are consistently the number one cause of outages," he said.

If you experience a power outage or observe any downed power lines, you may report it directly to CL&P by dialing 1-800-286-2000. You can also track power outages online, at CL-P.com.  Just click on 'Storm Center', then 'Outage Map' to keep track of any activity in your area.