Hundreds in Cedar Rapids left without power after utility pole fire

UPDATE: Hundreds of residents woke up without power after an apparent lightning strike set a wooden utility pole on fire in southwest Cedar Rapids.

Flames eventually cut through the pole, located in the 3900 block of Wilson Avenue SW near New Life Fitness World, causing the top half of the pole to topple over. Workers expected to be on the scene making repairs for several hours.

Firefighters and police were called to the area shortly before 6 a.m., and immediately closed the area to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The fire was still smoldering, and they were unsure what would happen if and when it fell. Four power lines, which were still energized, were attached to the top of the pole, authorities said.

"We just don't know what the pole's going to do," Battalion Chief Dan Dall said. "You can actually see right through the pole."

The outage originally affected more than 700 customers and caused traffic signals to go dark on Williams and Wiley boulevards. The New Life gym was evacuated as a precaution, and a few residents at nearby Westdale Court Apartments came outside to watch the commotion.

New Life employee Billy Bauck, 20, said he came outside to see the fire on the pole.

"It was flashing up, and then our power would come back on, and then it would flash again," Bauck said. "It did that a couple times."

Utility crews attempted unsuccessfully to put out the fire with a fire extinguisher, and Dall said workers had plans to bring in equipment to stabilize the pole. Before they could, the top of the pole fell around 7:25 a.m, and dangled in the air due to the tension of the power lines.

Alliant Energy crews redirected power for some customers, but about 230 remained out at 8:30 a.m. Spokesman Justin Foss said the company hoped to have power restored by mid-day.

Foss said the damage hadn't been examined closely, but lightning was probably the cause.

"That's our best guess," Foss said. "Lightning is a pretty common cause for electrical equipment problems, and there was lightning in the area."

New Life Fitness World was closed temporarily. Manager Ciye Malcuit said he was unsure if the gym would reopen Friday.

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