Jamestown (CSi)  Otter Tail Power and the North Dakota Highway Patrol reports, a mishap involving a dump truck, caused a widespread power outage in Jamestown and the area Tuesday.

  • Lines crossing frontage road & Hwy 281/52 hit by dump truck Lines crossing frontage road & Hwy 281/52 hit by dump truck
  • Truck drove onto frontage road with box still up.   CSi Photo Truck drove onto frontage road with box still up. CSi Photo
  • A truck returning on frontage road to dump dirt after first repairs A truck returning on frontage road to dump dirt after first repairs
  • Lines crossing Hwy 281/52 were spliced by Ottertail Tues am Lines crossing Hwy 281/52 were spliced by Ottertail Tues am
  • Aerial view - Lines hit to right, secondary damages to west (left) Aerial view - Lines hit to right, secondary damages to west (left)
  • Additional damages by substation west of initial tear down of lines Additional damages by substation west of initial tear down of lines
  • More damage along 82nd Ave SE as result of the truck hitting lines More damage along 82nd Ave SE as result of the truck hitting lines
  • Power Outage repairs in Jamestown   Photos by CSi Power Outage repairs in Jamestown Photos by CSi
  • Repairs extended west to substation area.  Photos by CSi Repairs extended west to substation area. Photos by CSi
  • Ottertail working on repairs near NW substation Ottertail working on repairs near NW substation
     

CSiNewsNow.com Photos

In a news release, the Highway Patrol reported, that a Sterling dump truck operated ty 58 year old Dale Laib of New Rockford about 10-a.m., Tuesday was southbound on the frontage road on Highway 52 a half mile northwest of Jamestown, when he failed to lower the dump box upon leaving the yard.

Four overhead power lines were struck and two severed lines came to rest across both north and southbound lanes of the highway.

North and southbound traffic was diverted onto the nearby frontage road.

Highway 52 was shutdown about three and a half hours until the power lines and pole support brace were replaced.

The Stutsman County Sheriff’s Office assisted the Highway Patrol in addition to Otter Tail Power crews on scene.

The power outage first affected the city of Jamestown just before 12:30-p.m., Tuesday.

An Otter Tail’s Jeff Hoff in Jamestown says, that a large area of power outage was restored by 2:05 p.m., Tuesday, which included the northwest  feeder serving  the Jamestown downtown substation.

Otter Tail reports, at that time a piece of feeder line was out northwest of 13th Street and 4th Avenue, Northwest, with about 100 customers affected, there.

The  east feeder line serving the northeast switching station was still out of service, and power was expected to be restored when the 40,000 watt line is restored, after 5-p.m., Tuesday.

The outage caused headaches to conduct transactions for retail businesses, with electronic tills.

The Jamestown Burger King Restaurant on highway 281 south closed until the power was restored, unable to prepare some menu  items.

Schools and  businesses  with generator backup including CSi Cable in Downtown Jamestown were able to continue to operate serving customers, still with power, during the outage.

In addition to Jamestown the areas of Gackle, Streeter, Eldridge, Windsor, Media and Montpelier were taken off line in order to make repairs, and will come back on line when power is restored through the 40,000 watt feeder line.  About 586 customers were without power in the Gackle area.

An unrelated underground fault occurred Tuesday afternoon affecting a one block area in Northeast Jamestown at 16th Street Northeast that occurred between 3-p.m. and 3:30-p.m., Tuesday.  Crews are working to isolate and repair the fault.

Otter Tail crews remained on the scene late Tuesday afternoon.