FIRE CUTS POWER

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31364, 9 May 1967, Page 1

FIRE CUTS POWER

Pole Burns At Northcote

Fire in a pole carrying an 11,000-volt line caused about 500 homes in the Northcote area to be without power for up to two hours last evening. The fire developed at the top of the pole at the corner of Veitch’s road and Brockhan street because of a faulty insulator.

The pole burnt partly through, and the 11,000-volt line fell to the ground. Automatic switches in a sub-station on the Main North road near St Bede’s College cut off power through the line. The 11,000-volt line affected feeds power into a number of substations serving the Northcote area. The 500 homes affected were in the area about Northcote, Tuckers, Veitches, Highsted, Claridges, and Styx Mill roads and adjacent streets. The fire began shortly before 5 p.m., and switching to restore power to about 200 of the affected homes was commenced at 5.42 p.m. Emergency repairs to the burnt pole were carried out, and power was restored to all homes at 7.21 p.m. The fire brigade was called at 4.51 p.m. and one machine from Harewood attended. The firemen extinguished the fire in the pole after power had been cut off.

Transport Department officers were also called to the area to control traffic.