PENDLETON — Residents and commuters in Pendleton and Mission faced traffic delays and power outages on July 7 after a grass fire prompted a precautionary power shutoff and a separate incident in which a commercial vehicle damaged overhead power lines.
Pendleton Fire Chief Tony Pierotti said fire crews responded to a grass fire near Goad Road and Southeast Court Avenue, where a power pole also caught fire.
In response to the power pole catching fire, PacifiCorp Communications Specialist Omar Granados said PacifiCorp intentionally de-energized power lines serving a large portion of Pendleton, including the downtown area, due to the nearby fire. The precautionary outage was intended to reduce wildfire risk and protect the public and first responders, he added.
Mission and other nearby areas, including the Nixyáawii Governance Center, homes, businesses and traffic signals throughout parts of Pendleton, lost power.
Granados said the de-energization affected nearly 6,000 customers in the area.
In a separate incident around the same time and a short distance away on the same road, a commercial vehicle apparently struck an overhead utility line near the First Stop Mart at the Chevron station, 2316 S.E. Court Ave. Pendleton Fiber crews responded to repair the damaged equipment.
PacifiCorp said power was restored to all affected customers at about 5:50 p.m. Customers who remain without service should reset their main breakers. If power is still unavailable, customers can report the outage through Pacific Power’s outage website or by texting “OUT” to 722797.
Pierotti said the grass fire burned approximately 28 acres.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
