CHIMACUM — A power line dragged down by a wind-toppled tree Wednesday morning electrified a 160-foot metal fence in Chimacum, sending some 8,000 volts dancing down its length and crackling into flames and popping explosions.
The loss of the power line, a primary line from Puget Sound Energy’s Port Hadlock substation, knocked out electricity to 937 customers, said Davina Gruenstein, company spokeswoman.
Power was restored within an hour, she said.
East Jefferson Fire-Rescue firefighters found smoke, steam, flames and dramatic explosions when they arrived at Mountain Propane at 265 Chimacum Road at 9:13 a.m.
Fire Chief Gordon Pomeroy said that he and Assistant Chief Steve Craig were examining the fence “when the explosions occurred right in front of us.
“I looked at him and said, ‘We need to be somewhere else right now,'” Pomeroy said.
Firefighters closed Chimacum Road from Ness’ Corner Road to just south of Mountain Propane until 11:45 a.m.
After Puget Sound Energy crew members disconnected the power, firefighters hosed down the fence and nearby foliage to quench the fire.
The heat had been so intense that it had melted ground cover and exploded poured cement in the base of several fence posts.
“I’m just glad that no one was hurt in this incident,” Pomeroy said.
“It was pretty scary.”
Mountain Propane employee Josh White was working in the yard in the front of the facility at about 9 a.m. when he heard an explosion as a nearby tree parted a power line.
White phoned 9-1-1 for emergency help, then flagged down at a Jefferson County sheriff’s deputy, who secured the area until more help arrived.
Wind-driven tree limbs snagging power lines resulted in a total of 958 customers losing electricity Wednesday, Gruenstein said, the largest outage being caused by the major power line that electrified the fence.
Power was restored to all Wednesday, including the other 21 customers scattered throughout the county who lost power.
Power was cut off in about eight locations throughout East Jefferson County, said Bob Hamlin, Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management program manager.
“We had a short period of extreme wind activity, but everything was cleared up by about noon,” he said.
Wednesday morning’s windstorm followed closely on the heels of power line repairs made after an unexpectedly harsh blow Monday night that cut off electrical power to 14,200 people on the North Olympic Peninsula, 6,000 of them in East Jefferson County.
Port Townsend had gusts of up to 51 mph at about 8:25 a.m. Wednesday, with sustained winds of 36 mph, and Point Wilson near Port Townsend had gusts of up to 55 mph and sustained winds of 45 mph, the National Weather Service said.
Gusts of 60 mph hit Whidbey Island at about 8 a.m. Wednesday.
Quilcene had gusts of 26 mph at about 7:30 a.m.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
