Police warn about downed wires (VIDEO)

MANSFIELD TOWNSHIP, NJ (Warren County) – Mansfield Township police are warning people to stay clear of downed utility poles and wires.

A police dashcam captured video of an electrical wire catching fire near a police vehicle.

“You never know when they are live,” police said.

Many motorists are driving through closed roads also around and over down lines. Take the few extra minutes and find another route, police said.

Stay more than 30 feet away from any downed power line, and don’t go near the pole or anything touching the line.
Immediately let us know if a power line is down or hanging lower than normal. Call our Outage Reporting Line, 1-888-LIGHTSS (1-888-544-4877) and select the option to report a downed power line. (Note: please use this option only if you actually see a downed wire. Do not assume that because your power is out there must be a wire down somewhere.)
Warn others to stay away from the line until help arrives. Keep pets away, too.

If you are unable to report the downed line to FirstEnergy, contact your local police or fire department.

Customers with a communication disability can report a downed wire using the appropriate TTY/TDD relay service.

Other tips for staying safe around downed power lines:

If a downed line is near water – even a small puddle – keep well away.
Be careful not to stand under damaged tree limbs or power lines. Tree limbs can become weakened during a storm but not fall until several hours or days later. The same can be true for damaged power lines or poles.
Don’t drive or walk over downed power lines.
If a wire falls on a vehicle, passengers should stay inside the vehicle until help arrives.
Downed power lines that come in contact with a vehicle create a dangerous situation. Do not touch the vehicle. Call us at 1-888-LIGHTSS(888-544-4877) or call the local police or fire department to report your situation.

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