Downed power line causes small fire in Southold

KATHARINE SCHROEDER PHOTO

Scorching temperatures may have caused a 7,620 volt electric wire on Pine Neck Road in Southold to snap, resulting in a small fire and a loss of power to area residents on Monday afternoon, Southold fire officials said. 
The Southold fire department and police personnel were on the scene moments after the fire, which was contained to an area at the base of a telephone pole.
Southold Fire Department Chief Bill Byrnes supervised the operation, which involved waiting for LIPA to cut the power and then making sure the small fire was out before the utility could begin repairs.
LIPA emergency service foreman Mike Travis said the cause of the wire’s breakage is hard to determine due to the damage the fire did to the line. “It may have been a splice that let go,” he speculated, adding that the integrity of the wires is sometimes compromised by high temperatures in the summertime.
Mr. Travis estimated that the outage, which lasted about a half-hour, involved several square blocks in the Pine Neck Road area of Southold.
[email protected]