A chunk of Iola went without power for the better part of an hour Wednesday evening after a local resident’s tree trimming expedition turned bad.
At approximately 5 p.m., a man living near the corner of Monroe and Chestnut streets was tending to some trees when a falling branch encountered a three-power line, prompting the lines to collide with each other.
“A homeowner decided he was going to trim his trees. That caused the short and knocked out the breaker at the substation,” said Carl Slaugh, Iola City Administrator.
The mistake stopped power from flowing to a significant number of homes in west Iola connected to the downed circuit, and the west half of the square. City crews restored power at approximately 5:45 p.m.
Slaugh didn’t say if the tree trimmer will be penalized.
