Friday, April 21, around 11:35 a.m. a high-voltage BEC line fell across highway 470 on the Utopia side of Seco pass blocking the roadway to traffic west of Tarpley.

It appears that lightning hit the top of the pole and it burned until the tension on the top line caused the wire to fall. The line fell across the highway until it rested about head high. A cement truck driver saw the wire in time to stop and the driver stayed away from the wire. No other vehicles hit or touched the line before BEC employee Robert Rodriguez arrived. The line was not verified de-energized nor was it grounded. Robert used his rubber gloves and a special liveline tool to hold the wires above traffic, creating a safe way for vehicles to pass. Robert stayed in place until the circuit was verified open and grounded safe.

The Bandera County sheriff’s department dispatched a deputy to help control traffic. BEC employees, working with law enforcement, were forced to limited when traffic could proceed depending on the progress of work. The need for this limited road access lasted until about 4:15 p.m.

The pole that had to be replaced was in a difficult spot. It was an angle pole in the middle of long spans. The BEC crews involved did an excellent job working in the unusual circumstances and stayed in touch with employees controlling traffic and the BEC office.

The downed line caused an outage affecting the entire Rio Hondo area. Power to the bulk of the area was restored about 2 p.m. The entire line was back in service in its normal state at 6:15 p.m.

In addition to the good teamwork at the site of the downed line, BEC employees also pulled together to cover the phones; make the appropriate contacts in the situation and cover the normal course of business.

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