Sheriff: None Hurt After Man Hanging Christmas Lights With Lift Snags Power Line
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Authorities in central Minnesota say no one was hurt Sunday when a man putting up Christmas lights with an aerial lift snagged a power line, causing portions of the lift to start on fire.
The Stearns County Sheriff's Office says deputies received a call shortly before 5 p.m. about a lift striking a powerline near a home on the 38000 block of County Road 1 in Brockway Township, about three miles north of Sartell. The caller said the lift was stuck in the extended position with two people inside. Parts of the lift were also on fire.
Sheriff's deputies, neighbors and the homeowners used fire extinguishers to knock down the flames. Xcel Energy workers were able to turned off the power and remove the entangled line while firefighters helped the two people stuck in the lift.
Deputies say the homeowner, a 40-year-old man, told them he had been using the lift to hang Christmas lights when he struck the powerline.