PG&E was dispatched to the scene to extinguish the fire and repair the switch. Photo by Katie Voss

GRIDLEY, CA (MPG) - Heron Landing residents were surprised by an electrical fire on Veterans Day, burning at the top of a PG&E pole along W. Biggs-Gridley Road. The fire occurred at about 3 p.m. Nov. 11. A nearby Heron Landing resident called 911.

The road was blocked off by police, and CAL FIRE arrived. However, since the fire was electrical, PG&E was tasked with putting it out. Power to the line was shut off and the power was re-routed by the crews. Fortunately, the fire did not spread beyond the pole’s top.

The pole’s location is directly behind the home of Adam and Katie Voss. Katie and their 8-year-old son, Logan, witnessed the event.

“Luckily, it had just rained so everything that was falling wasn’t catching on fire down below,” Voss said.

Logan commented, “It looked like fireworks. It was flashing pink, yellow, orange and green.”

According to PG&E spokesman Paul Moreno, the resulting power outage impacted 835 customers. Power was restored by 4:48 p.m. for most of those affected. The remaining three residents had power restored by 3:25 a.m. Tuesday morning.

Moreno said that the cause of the fire was “a failed overhead switch that burned” and is still under investigation.

“The majority of poles do not have switches,” Moreno said.      

No damage estimates were made, as of press time.