Crash brings down wires in North Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Wednesday morning PECO crews began the long and complicated task of getting the power back on for dozens of customers in the dark after a horrific overnight accident along Clearfield and Broad streets in North Philadelphia.

"It blew up and it fell so it woke me up. You hear people yelling and people screaming," said Moses Simos of North Philadelphia.

Around 3:30 a.m. residents were jolted out of bed by what sounded like a small explosion.

"We just heard this boom and then after that, we hear like a screech. Then we heard another boom and the lights were blinking," said Dionne Fleming of North Philadelphia.

About 120 PECO customers were suddenly in the dark. Neighbors rushed out into the darkness to find the source of the sound.

They discovered a shocking scene. After crashing into a pole, a black pickup truck brought wires and a transformer down. Power wires lay strewn across the street and dangling from above surrounding the vehicle.

"When I walked down the street, I had seen two ladies and I already knew what happened," said one resident.

Philadelphia police are still investigating what lead up to the accident. The condition of the driver has not been released.

Residents meanwhile are finding ways to charge up and stay warm until the power comes back on.

"We had to go to McDonald's to charge our phones up. Stuff like that. So it's just been a mess," added Fleming.

One resident said, "It's not that cold and we have a lot of big blankets and stuff. We are fortunate."

The customers here on Clearfield got their power restored earlier this morning along with those on Broad Street.

However, customers on Rosewood Street are going to have to wait until sometime later this afternoon to get their power back.

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