STONEHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - Montvale Avenue in Stoneham reopened early Friday morning more than 36 hours after a truck took down seven utility poles on the street Wednesday morning.
The crash took place around 9:30 a.m. Wednesday when officials said a tractor-trailer snagged a power line between Lindenwood Road and Maple Street.
Utility poles fell like dominos, drawing an emergency response that included a hazmat crew tasked with addressing fluid leaking from a pair of fallen transformers.
Several hundred energy customers in the area lost power as a result of the crash.
Generators were brought in. But residents said on Thursday that they had been told the power would be turned off again for a period of time as crews continue to work in the area.
Eversource said on Thursday that it was in the process of transferring customers off temporary generator power and back to the main electrical system. The process, officials said, requires temporary power outages for customers.
Eversource had crews on scene Thursday on the ground and in the air.
Officials with Verizon said Thursday night that they were still waiting for other crews to finish work before they could fully start their repairs.
“[There’s] lots of trucks here fixing it, so a problem arises and you fix it and you move onto the next problem,” John Campbell said of the scene during the day.
Campbell was visiting his 95-year-old mother, who lives in a building in the area affected by recent power disruptions.
“No real worries for her safety, but you know, you’re still concerned,” he said.
Area resident Barry McMillan walked on foot to a nearby grocery store.
He said he received a call earlier in the day alerting him that power would be turned off for four hours.
“Hopefully we will have power in the end and it will be settled,” McMillan said.
Officials say they are close to the end of restoration work, now hoping to have everything up and running again by the end of the day Friday.
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