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Tractor takes down Hydro One tower in St. Clair Township

Journal staff Some 4,500 customers were without power briefly Wednesday morning after a tractor struck a Hydro One steel tower in St. Clair Township. The incident occurred at 9:49 a.m.
powerline
A tractor struck a Hydro One steel tower in St. Clair Township Wednesday. (Photo, St. Clair Township Fire, Facebook)

Journal staff

Some 4,500 customers were without power briefly Wednesday morning after a tractor struck a Hydro One steel tower in St. Clair Township.

The incident occurred at 9:49 a.m., when the tractor struck a Hydro One steel tower located near the intersection of Ladysmith Road and Lasalle Line, said Hydro One spokesperson Meghan Collie. “We isolated the line and transferred the load to another source, restoring power to all customers at 9:54 a.m.

“Crews are working as quickly and as safely as possible to repair the steel tower.”

St. Clair Township crews from Corunna's Station 2 attended the scene, said fire chief Richard Boyes, adding that the driver remained in the tractor until the power was safetly shut off around 12:15 p.m. There were no injuries, he added.

Local industry also reported unit upsets due to power outages early Wednesday.

Both the Suncor Sarnia refinery and Plains Midstream Canada issued CAER Community Awareness Notifications, noting possible periods of increased flaring and noise.

“This morning, the Suncor Sarnia refinery experienced a brief power interruption as a result of an issue with a third-party service provider,” the company noted.

“We immediately implemented our response plan and power has been restored. As we return to normal operation, community members will notice an increase in flaring and the presence of black smoke for a period of time.

“As an added safety precaution, we are conducting perimeter monitoring.”


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