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Hockinson-area children rescued after live power lines strand school bus

By John Branton
Published: March 9, 2010, 12:00am

A group of 25 schoolchildren caught a lucky break Monday after live power lines, stretched tight by a tree that fell due to wind bursts, came down in front of and behind the school bus they rode in.

Shortly after 3:30 p.m., Fire District 3 was called to a grass fire caused by downed power lines at Northeast 232nd Avenue and 169th Street, near Hockinson, said Battalion Chief Jeff Stewart.

When firefighters arrived, they found no flames — but saw that the bus was stopped with power lines about 60 feet in front of it and 30 feet behind it, Stewart said.

“The bus driver did the right thing and kept all the kids onboard,” said Stewart, who didn’t know the driver’s name.

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Had the bus come into contact with the live lines, the occupants would have been in danger, he said.

The incident was set in motion by a small wind storm as cool, unpredictable March weather takes over.

“We just had a small burst of wind blow through here,” Stewart said. “It just happened all of a sudden and then it went away.”

The wind burst caused a tree to fall on the lines. The lines were holding the tree up, but were stretched so tight that the lines came down in several areas near the bus, he said.

Firefighters and Clark County sheriff’s deputies blocked the roads and called for a crew from Clark Public Utilities.

Firefighters and school officials walked the 25 Hockinson Primary School students single file through the brush and a neighbor’s yard, then back onto the avenue and onto a replacement bus that took the children home.

No one was reported injured.

Farther north in Fire District 10, based in Amboy, “We had a little burst of wind come through,” said Fire Chief Sam Arola. A power line fire was reported about 4:30 p.m. at Northeast 359th Street and 114th Avenue, but firefighters found no problem there, he said.

Cool weather ahead

The trend of cool, showery and windy weather started Monday around the Portland-Vancouver area, said Clinton Rockey, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

A very cool air mass overhead in the area was affected by wandering clouds that released showers. As rain fell, it pulled the cool air down with it, Rockey said. That caused wind gusts up to 45 mph around the showers.

The same showery, wind-burst weather pattern can also cause hail to fall, Rockey said.

Monday’s high was 51 degrees, a few degrees colder than average, he said.

Coolness will continue today, with an expected high of 47 degrees, Rockey said.

He predicted brief sun breaks this morning, then thickening clouds that should produce steady rain by tonight.

For Wednesday, showers are forecast. Clouds, showers and rain are expected through Saturday.

John Branton: 360-735-4513 or john.branton@columbian.com.

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