DOWNEY - Parts of Downey were without power Tuesday night after a traffic collision took out power lines in the western part of the city.Residents reported seeing flashes of light streak across the city at about 6:15 p.m.. Outages were reported in central and western parts of Downey. Apollo Park was without power for about 10 minutes, according to people using the park. Fire department officials said a vehicle collision at Old River School Road and Firestone Boulevard resulted in a downed power line, which triggered the outages. "A power line went down and was cracked in half; there were explosions down the power line along the railroad tracks," Downey resident Sandra Luz reported on Facebook. "Power was out in that area (Home Depot, Party City, gas station, etc). Avoid that intersection completely!" Tristan Fuenmayor said his friend witnessed the collision while pumping gas at the Chevron station. "A semi truck took out a pole on the corner of Old River and Firestone. There are lines down across Firestone, the auction lot, and the tracks," Fuenmayor said. "Currently one utility pole is suspended in midair over the tracks, while the bottom half is across the tracks." Police shut down the intersection and diverted traffic while Edison crews worked to restore power.

********** Published: Nov. 28, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 33