Several Residents Affected By Power Outage After Apparent Hit-And-Run

Neighbors say they heard a loud bang or explosion just before power went out on Old Middleton Road Tuesday, and an odor of natural gas had area residents concerned of a possible leak.
 
Residents took it upon themselves to shut down the street as they awaited Engine Company 9’s arrival. Several other residents were standing out in their yards to see what all the commotion was about.
 
Firefighters located downed power and cable lines and traced them back to a power pole broken into three large pieces in the road alongside a pile of tree branches. It was raining, and the ground was wet as the electrified lines rested on the street.
 
The crew positioned its fire engine to close off the street and asked for police assistance in keeping the area cordoned off.
 
As they awaited the arrival of MG&E, firefighters moved up and down the street looking for additional hazards, smelling for gas, and going from house to house to check the welfare of each resident as they asked them to stay inside.
 
The 911 caller who reported the smell of gas could not smell it anymore, and firefighters also found no indication of a gas leak.
 
Police and firefighters kept the area secured while MG&E shut down the electricity and removed the power lines from the street. Charter Cable also arrived to tend to the cable wires.
 
After clearing away some of the debris, MG&E reported to the fire lieutenant that there was a broken front-end grill, belong to a passenger vehicle, found under the pile of branches. The car was no longer in the area.
 
Police officers were informed of this discovery, and they took over the investigation into the apparent hit-and-run.