KOLOA — There was a brief power disruption in the Koloa-Po‘ipu area after an excavator severed two high-voltage power lines while working along the Koloa Bypass road Wednesday afternoon. The incident took place shortly before 3 p.m. The driver of
KOLOA — There was a brief power disruption in the Koloa-Po‘ipu area after an excavator severed two high-voltage power lines while working along the Koloa Bypass road Wednesday afternoon.
The incident took place shortly before 3 p.m. The driver of the excavator was not injured and refused medical treatment.
Juan Lorenzo, a Kaua‘i Island Utility Cooperative lineman who responded to the scene, said the driver was lucky because he could have been seriously injured or killed.
Sparks from the downed lines created a small brush fire in a pasture adjacent to the road, but crews from the state’s forestry division as well as the Koloa Fire Station quickly had the blaze under control.
“We were lucky there was no wind,” a fire fighter said. “We were able to get it down in about five minutes since the fire was just creeping along.”
Lorenzo said power was shut down at the Koloa station near the former Grove Farm sugarmill. Power to the Po‘ipu resort area was re-routed to minimize disruption.
Once the excavator was moved, KIUC crews quickly spliced the cabling so the Koloa station could get back on line in time for evening peak usage.
Authorities are still investigating the cause of the incident.
