Washington Township (Mercer)--A crane working at a construction site hit nearby power lines causing a blackout and a brush fire in a woods adjacent to the site. Washington Township firefighters were called to the scene at 10:59 a.m. and arrived at 11:01 a.m. on Tuesday April 26, 2005.

The crane doing bridge repair on Route 130 and operated by Mid-lantic Construction of Manasquan was running but unoccupied at the time. The crane drifted on its own shorting and cutting power lines causing them to fall alongside of the roadway and into the Assunpink Creek. The "hot" power lines caused  a 75 x 100 foot area of woods to burn. Workers working on the bridge were able to escape the falling high voltage power lines unharmed.

Route 130 had to be closed at Church Street by Washington Township Police and NJ Department of Transportation personnel until power was cut. Power was also knocked out in the Windsor Area and some did not get power back on for at least two hours.

Workers and firefighters stayed clear of the lines until GPU Energy arrived and cut power to the area. Firefighters had to wait 12:02 p.m. before attempting to put water on the fire because of the high voltage lines. Firefighters cleared the scene at 12:24 p.m.

 

 

Above map from Maquest http://www.mapquest.com