Downed pole cause of power surge Christmas morning

A single-vehicle accident along Highway 11-71 near La Vallee just before 2 a.m. Christmas morning took out a hydro pole that caused a district-wide power outage and a localized power surge which damaged electrical appliances in several households.
Police said the lone female driver, who was westbound at the time of the mishap, hit a small patch of ice, lost control of her vehicle, and left the highway, striking a pole on the south side.
She was not seriously injured.
But Jim Belluz, line supervisor for the district for Ontario Hydro, said the massive power outage occurred when the main hydro line which feeds the whole district was involved.
The accident also tangled all the conductors and was the probable cause of the power surge.
“[The outage] affected the whole Rainy River District from west of Fort Frances through Rainy River and north to Morson,” he noted late yesterday.
The power remained off until 4:01 a.m. when a hydro crew restored it.
Meanwhile, some area residents woke up Christmas morning to find their TVs, VCRs, satellite dishes, fridges, CD players, stoves, and a host of other appliances had been “toasted” by the power surge.
Particularly hard hit was the home of Diane and Larry Loveday, who live on along the highway near where the accident occurred.
“Our computer was fried, the satellite receiver, ground fault receptacle in the bathroom, two breakers, and my waterbed heater,” she noted yesterday.
“The [neighbours] lost their stove and their microwave,” she added.
Ken Manty of Sight and Sound here said numerous appliances have been brought in for repairs since the power outage, including amplified speakers and power bars.
“We’ve pretty much seen everything come in,” he said.
Belluz said Ontario Hydro had receive a number of reports from residents who experienced damaged articles from the surge and are looking to file a claim.
But he also warned people who might believe they will get away with falsifying an insurance report in order to land a new appliance to think again.
“Anyone who thinks they can fake it and try to get stuff fixed that wasn’t damaged by the [power surge]–it’s not going to happen,” he stressed.
“Ontario Hydro knows exactly who the people are that are going to have legitimate complaints,” he said.