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NEWS Thursday, August 3, 2000 1:26 AA

Fire leads to power outage at Gateway

By ABBY HUTCHISON, Sierra Sun

Truckee Gateway power customers - commercial and residential -Jexperienced a power outage for an estimated 50 minutes Tuesday in the late afternoon.

Power was out briefly in most Donner Pass Road businesses from Gateway to Northwoods Boulevard, said Truckee-Donner Public Utility District Electric Superintendent Bob Quinn. Businesses affected included the hospital, the sheriff's office, the school district offices, Safeway and other businesses and residences.

"We look at that as a major outage because it is important customers on that line," Quinn said. "But the outage was not an extended outage."

The outage was caused by a blown transformer at the U.S. Forest Service work center off of Bridge Street in downtown Truckee at 4:29 p.m.

"We don't know what caused the transformer to go," Quinn said. He said the top of the transformer blew off and caught on fire. "The damage was to the transformer. We had to wait to reenergize the line until the fire personnel were clear from the pole and the fire was indeed out."

According to Truckee Fire Protection District firefighter/paramedic Don Akers, the fire was a 20-by-20 foot spot fire and a joint effort by TFPD and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection crews had the fire out within 15 minutes.

Quinn added if the situation had been more serious, the PUD has equipment to power necessary businesses such as the hospital and the sheriff's office, so there are no extended outages.

http://www.tahoe.com/sun/stories.8.3.00/NEWS/outag03Aug8214.html

-- (Dee360Degree@aol.com), August 03, 2000