Fallen power line turns metal fence into deadly danger

A power-line accident in Cape Girardeau could have been a fatal disaster. Instead, it was just a warning.

Around 11 a.m. Saturday, lightning hit a tree, which then knocked down a power line in the 500 block of East Cape Rock Drive. The line fell onto a metal fence, welding itself to the fence and electrifying it.

Linda Loyd, who lives nearby, heard the tree crash and saw that the line had been broken. She called AmerenUE, but since she didn't know the wire was still live she told them it was no emergency. Her husband, Robert, an electrician with K&K Electric, came home shortly afterward and took his amperage meter to the fence. It sparked.

So many things could have happened. The tree could have ignited and the fire spread. Loyd's cat and her neighbor's dog, who like to greet each other at the fence, could have been killed. A neighbor or a child could have brushed against the fence and been electrocuted. Since the line carried a 240-amp current, even a glancing encounter with that fence could have been fatal.

Loyd said it was a good thing most of her neighbors were away for the July Fourth holiday and nowhere near the fence. It's good also that she knew to avoid it.

"All I know is that I'm smart enough when I see a wire not to touch it," she said.

Once AmerenUE was made aware of the live wire, it notified the Cape Girardeau police and the fire department, which stood by and kept people out of the area until the line was removed and power restored.

The best thing to do is stay away from a downed line, said Capt. Sam Welker of the Cape Girardeau Fire Department. If a power line lands on a fence, it can energize the entire fence and the area around it if the ground is wet.

But a fallen power line should not be left unattended, said John Sachen, a fire and rescue training instructor with the University of Missouri.

"If you walk away, some children who may have seen you there, their natural curiosity will drive them to come over to get a look," he said.

Even if nobody touches the fence, it's possible that the ground around it could be charged. It's also possible, Sachen said, that the line might be a high-voltage line, extending the energy field on the ground many feet from the wire.

A line that initially appears to be dead, he said, may reset itself suddenly, jump from the surge of power, and electrocute someone standing nearby. There is no warning when that happens, he said.

"If you see a power line down," Sachen said, "call the power company, isolate the area and make sure people stay away."

Then let the professionals take over.

lredeffer@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 160