Excavator hits power line at LRT construction site causing dramatic sparks
A fire at a Stage 2 LRT construction site in the west end caused some power to flicker Saturday morning.
Video shared to a local neighbourhood Facebook group shows a small, bright fire in the pit where construction on the western expansion of the Confederation Line is taking place near Byron and Woodroffe avenues.
Barbara Fogarty Ferguson described seeing multiple bright flashes of light from the scene.
"First, I saw a huge flash that lit up the entire apartment. I jumped up to look out the window and saw the fire," she told CTV News Ottawa. "I could hear the sizzle from having the patio door opened. The fire seemed to die down at times and then it would get very, very bright again, sometimes so bright that I wasn't able to look directly at it."
Jamie Robinson, the director of communications and stakeholder engagement for the contractor working on site, Kiewit-Eurovia-Vinci, said a worker hit a power line with an excavator at around 7:30 a.m., causing some dramatic sparking, but crews quickly got the situation under control. Power was briefly interrupted to one Hydro Ottawa customer on Robertson Road, he said.
Some residents in the area reported their lights flickering briefly Saturday morning, but there was no larger outage reported.
The Ottawa Fire Service said firefighters were called to the scene but did not have to put out a fire. Ottawa paramedics confirmed no one was injured.
The site is where the future New Orchard Station will be built on the western leg of the LRT, set to open in late 2026.
A similar incident took place last November, when a crane at the same construction site hit a power line, briefly knocking out power to nearby residents.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.