Dump truck knocks down communication wires over Deleon Street, causing hours-long closure

Author: Annette Montgomery Writer: Nicholas Karsen
Published: Updated:
fort myers
Credit: WINK

A dump truck knocked down communication lines on Deleon Street, forcing a road closure in the surrounding area in Fort Myers.

The downed communication lines were reported to Florida Power and Light and the Fort Myers Police Department at around 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

FMPD arrived to redirect traffic while FPL crews worked to confirm no damage to its equipment while Fort Myers Fire Department crews responded to the scene.

According to FMPD, the communication lines were live and emitting smoke.

FPL reported about 204 outages in the county; however, it was unrelated to the incident.

An FPL representative contacted WINK News to clarify that the momentary outages were not due to the damaged electrical equipment and were caused by an unrelated transmission relay.

WINK News spoke with a neighbor who stated that he heard the explosion and said his power went out for about 15 seconds.

He stepped outside and saw a fire and smoke in the school play yard.

For hours, FMPD was seen rerouting traffic on Deleon Street from Winkler Avenue to Orangewood Elementary School.

The neighbor stated that the driver stayed in the truck for about an hour after it happened, which he said was probably the right move because there were live wires everywhere when he stepped out of his house.

No injuries were reported.

The cause of the vehicle hitting the communication lines remains under investigation.

Power was restored to the nearby homes just before 1 p.m., and the road was opened by 2:30 p.m. However, crews are still working to repair the lines.

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