Bricks and mortar were disturbed when a phone line was ripped from its resting by a Waste Management truck.
Power lines down in Ballard UPDATE -- Tuesday, May 13: 1:24 p.m.
What the Ballard News-Tribune reported as downed power lines earlier today turned out to be a downed phone line. The line was snagged by a City of Seattle Waste Management truck while it passed the Ballard Senior Center.
The low hanging phone line was strung from a phone pole across Northwest 59th Street and connected to the Ballard Senior Center. The truck snagged the line and ripped it from the top of the building taking some bricks and mortar along with it.
City of Seattle officials were at the scene but were unable to comment on the incident.
Meanwhile, seniors at the center were left with no phone service; however Waste Management maintained its service, though delayed.
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There are downed live power lines at the 5429 32nd Ave. N.W. in Ballard.
According to Seattle Fire Department over 13 units were dispatched for a “Rescue” emergency. Once at the scene SFD determined there was no one injured and they secured the parameter.
Lt. Sue Stangl with SFD said that once crews secured the area Seattle City Light takes over to restore the wires to their position.
“Our first priority when arriving at the scene is emergency medical services, so once we confirm there is no one injured we turn it over to Seattle City Light,” Stangl.
Downed power lines are extremely dangerous with some lines carrying as much as 26 thousand volts or more. Citizens are advised to stay at least 20 feet away.
At 11:50 a.m., the Seattle City Light outage report indicated there were no power outages in Ballard, but there could be possible outages unreported.
Look to the Ballard News-Tribune for updates as the situation evolves.