Nelson Fire Department kept busy during first storm of winter
By Nelson Daily Staff
The first winter storm of the season had Nelson Fire Department scrambling Sunday morning to attend a pair of accidents west of Nelson.
Nelson Fire Department dispatchers received a call at 9:30 a.m. responded to reports of two separate accidents two and five kilometers west of Nelson on Highway 3A.
The on-duty crew responded to the first call, finding two vehicles with extensive damage.
Airbags had deployed in the cars, but injuries were minor.
One patient was transported to hospital by a family member. Slippery road conditions, a result of warm, wet snow, were contributing factors to the accident.
Before the first accident had been cleared, a second call of an accident on Hwy 3A was received.
Off-duty members were called in to attend. This accident involved a single vehicle which had slid off the road and down the embankment towards the railroad tracks.
Again, extensive damage had occurred, but injuries appeared to be minor.
With the arrival of the wet, slippery snow, citizens of Nelson should be sure to have good snow tires, and to ensure they are ready for winter driving.
Proper snow tires, indicated by the snowflake symbol on the side of the tire, greatly improves a vehicle’s handling capabilities in snowy conditions.
Later in the morning, at 10:39 a.m., wet snow is being blamed for a tree contacting a power line on Wasson St, resulting in sparks, flame, and smoke in the tree.
The fire self-extinguished in the wet conditions, once the tree was no longer touching the line.
Nelson Fire Rescue attended the scene to assess the fire risk and to keep the public clear of the hazardous area until Nelson Hydro crews were able to trim the tree, mitigating the problem.
Nelson Fire Rescue and Nelson Hydro reminds the public to stay 10 metres away from the base of any tree that has contacted a power line and to call the Hydro Problem Reporting line at 1-877-324-9376 (1-877-32-HYDRO).
