Napa Co.: Crash sets off grass fire, power outage
Napa Co.: Crash sets off grass fire, power outage
16 August 2007
published by cbs5.com
A vehicular collision on state Highway 121 south of Napa resulted in no injuries today but a utility pole sheared off in the crash fell across the highway and lit a grass fire, a highway patrol officer said.
Around 3:10 p.m., a 33-year-old Napa man was northbound at around 50 miles per hour on state Highway 121 north of state Highway 12 when a van in front of him and slowed to a halt.
California Highway Patrol Officer A. Henkens said the man turned to the right to avoid the van and hit the utility pole, which was sheared off at the base.
The downed high-voltage lines caused a grass fire that spread north to Eighth Street East, where responding firefighters extinguished it. It also interrupted power in the area, but the extent of the outage was not immediately available.
The officer said the highway was closed for more than two hours between state Highway 12 and Burndale Road. It reopened at 5:30 p.m.
Alcohol was not a factor in the collision, the officer said.
