Wet Storm Knocked Out Power to Thousands of Homes

Nearly 5,000 homes and businesses were without power Wednesday as a wet storm caused downed lines and sparked fires on utility poles.

The storm was not the most long lasting or powerful but it was the most drenching we have seen in months. One-by-one, reports of power outages came in.

Curt Jensen lives on River Road and was one of the thousands effected by the outage caused by a utility pole that caught fire around 8 p.m.

"My electric stove went out and my daughter's sitting there waiting for popcorn," Curt said.

About a dozen utility poles caught fire across the area, Wednesday.
We're told the dry weather causes a dust build-up that can catch fire when it gets wet.

Businesses and homes were without power and street lights at busy intersections were off for hours.

"I have lived here 28 years in this house and I have never seen anything like that at all," said Laura Heilman, who lives near a pole that burned near Lincoln Avenue.

Laura's neighbors at White Pass Garage said the loss of power threw a wrench in their schedule.

"It's gonna cost us a few bucks and a few headaches. There's a few customers cars that were supposed to leave today; that's not gonna happen," said Mike McIntosh, a White Pass Technician.

Crews did fix the pole and restore power to that neighborhood hours later.

As we inch closer to the cold and wet winter season, folks seemed to let this storm roll of their shoulders.

"You know it's supposed to get cold tonight and we'll huddle in the front room and light some candles," Curt said.