Power Outage Affecting Downtown - Downed Wire Lying Across Oil Transport Pipeline

Update, 5:35 p.m.:

A downed electric power line behind the Amports Headuarters at 1997 Elm Street in Benicia caused some tense moments for first responders because it came to rest across a chain link fence and an oil transportation pipeline and it sparked a small grass fire.

Fire Captain Todd Matthews said the danger from the pipline expoloding was minimal but the electrical hazard was of great concern to firefighters and police who were on the scene.

"I'm more concerned with the pipe conducting electricity, "said Matthews.  Firefighters consider a downed electric line to be live until PG&E personnel tell them otherwise.

"The whole fence could be energized as far as you can see in either direction," said Matthews pointing to a chin link fence topped with barbed wire meant to keep people away from the pipeline.

At the time the wire came down there was no oil being pumped through the line that originates at the Amports dock and runs to a high point just east of the Amports Headquarters building before heading down the hi parallel to Park Road and into the Valero Benicia Refinery.

"We lost electricity, then we saw smoke," said Patricia Cherne, Administrative and Accounting Manager at Amports.  "The response time was really fast.  I was really impressed.

Firefighters from Vallejo covered fire Station 11 during the emergency and were dipatched to at least one emergency medical situation while in Benicia.

 4:08 p.m.:

PG&E was notified at 4:08 p.m. of a power outage.  Brittany McKannay, a spokesperson for PG&E says the company is estimating 4,000 customers are affected.

The area affected is bouded approximately by Military, East Second, and Rose Drive.

Patch will update this story as information becomes available.

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If there’s something in this article you think should be corrected, or if something else is amiss, call editor JB Davis at 707-628-0051 or email him at benicia@patch.com.