BAKERSFIELD \u2013 \u00a0As the remnants of a nor\u2019easter pounded Vermont with wind and rain yesterday, Bakersfield Fire Chief Curtis Barber spent the day convincing drivers that yes, the portion of King Road blocked by emergency and utility vehicles was really closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barber made the decision to close the road after the storm caused an electrical line to contact a nearby tree, sending thousands of volts of electricity through the tree and lighting it on fire. \u201cWe take every precaution in these situations\u201d said Barber, \u201cthere are so many possible outcomes, most of which include a live electrical line, a flaming tree branch, or both falling onto the roadway. We just don\u2019t want anyone to be under it when it goes.\u201d Barber had his firefighters follow standard procedure and blocked the road with emergency vehicles, traffic cones, and portable \u201croad closed\u201d signs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, some residents seemed unsure what the emergency vehicles, cones, and signs meant. \u201cIs the road really closed?\u201d Asked Bakersfield resident Quinton Couture, \u201cThe \u2018road closed\u2019 sign I had to drive around was laying on the ground so I wasn\u2019t sure\u201d said Couture as the electrical line arced white hot plasma 40 feet from his vehicle. Barber told Couture that the sign had probably blown down and he would have someone put it back up. He also told the driver that yes, the road really was closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other residents were aware the road was closed, but wondered if they could still drive through. \u201cWhat if I go really fast?\u201d asked Amber Dunsmore, who regularly travels on King Road on her way to work, \u201cI could make it through before anything bad happens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not really a matter of if<\/em> the branch or line falls but when<\/em>,\u201d explained Barber, \u201cI don\u2019t want you under it when it goes. Also, I think going faster would just make the situation more dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou mean I really have to find another way to get to work?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes,\u201d replied Barber, \u201cthe road is really closed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n As of this morning Chief Barber was still on scene waiting for the local utility company to disconnect the power.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"