OAKLEY — About a dozen businesses and residents near City Hall lost power for about 45 minutes Tuesday morning when a truck hit on overhead line.
The dump truck became entangled with phone lines in the area of Main Street and Norcross Lane around 9 a.m., likely causing enough movement that the primary power wires above the phone lines slapped together, PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said
Some residents nearby said they heard the loud noise and saw smoke.
The wires hitting each other likely caused “an arc,” which is similar to a flash of light, Sarkissian said.
Power was restored by about 10 a.m. and the situation never became unsafe, she said.
The East Contra Costa city is in the midst of making road improvements in that area for its efforts to renovate Oakley Plaza. The road widening is anticipated to last for several months and include lane shifts and temporary traffic controls.
Contact Paul Burgarino at 925-779-7164. Follow him at Twitter.com/paulburgarino.