Fires were the cause of power outages that plagued some St. Croix residents of the weekend, according to V.I. Water and Power Authority officials.
WAPA customers on Feeder 10 were left in the dark due to utility poles catching on fire, said Laurie Christian, WAPA spokeswoman.
On Saturday, a telephone pole in Grove Place made contact with WAPA power lines and burned, Christian said. Feeder 10 tripped when electrical conductors melted by the fire fell to the ground. Power was restored later Saturday night.
On Sunday, a car accident in the Carambola area knocked out a utility pole, which in turn knocked out Feeder 10 again, Christian said. The feeder was out for about 45 minutes. On Monday, the same utility pole caught fire, again tripping Feeder 10. Power was restored when Feeder 10's load was placed on Feeder 9.
Christian said that until Feeder 10 is back on line, customers in the Frederiksted area may experience low voltage because of the distance their electricity must travel on Feeder 9 before reaching Frederiksted.
