Strong winds that caused power lines to touch were the root of a series of power interruptions which occurred early this morning at residences and businesses located between Central Avenue and Keating Avenue here.
Around 3 a.m., winds caused a neutral phase connection to come too close to one of the power phases at the Third Street West feeder system, resulting in a temporary power outage for Fort Frances Power Corp. customers in the affected area.
A second outage then occurred around 6:50 a.m.
FFPC CEO and president Joerg Ruppenstein explained crews had to trace where the problem was occurring.
After getting a tip from a local resident, they identified where the lines were touching, then disconnected and rearranged the lines to space them further apart.
Power was restored shortly before 8 a.m.
“The root cause was winds. The secondary cause was our lines were too close together than we would typically want them,” said Ruppenstein.
“There was no equipment damage and this should be a one-time occurrence.”
Ruppenstein noted it was “not typical” for this to happen in the winter since the cold usually causes the lines to contract, be taut, and less likely to come into contact with each other.
In the summer, on the other hand, the heat can cause lines to expand and thus more likely to sway into one another in strong winds.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
