Woman killed alongside her dog in Mendota, California after walking in the dark over a power line that fell to the ground after being damaged in a fire
- A power pole was damaged in a fire on Monday and then collapsed
- Police believe he would have been invisible in the dark
- Investigation underway to find out if the damage was reported
A dog walker was killed alongside his pet when they tripped over fallen power cables that had been damaged in a fire two days earlier.
The California woman, who has not yet been identified, was walking along a rural stretch of the 180 Freeway and San Mateo Avenue near her home east of Mendota around 5 a.m. Wednesday.
It is believed that she was electrocuted by live cables lying on the floor which were invisible in the darkness.
On Monday, a team from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Calfire) extinguished a fire that burned a utility pole on the same stretch of road according to abc30.com
“It appears that the pole and wires recently fell to the ground and she did not see them due to the darkness and walked into the live wires, killing her and the dog,” a spokesperson said. from the Fresno Sheriff’s Office in a statement.
The remote location outside of Mendota, California, where the woman was electrocuted
Another walker found the woman later and called 911, but emergency crews were unable to revive her when they arrived at the scene.
It is unclear whether Calfire reported the damaged pole to PG&E and how the utility company responded.
An investigation was opened but the tragedy sparked an angry reaction on the sheriff’s Facebook page.
“Someone is at fault here and guilty of causing the death of an innocent woman and her dog,” Carolyn Dodd wrote.
“So no one inspected the pole for strength/integrity after it was hit by fire?” asked Jennie Norris Smith. ‘Seriously?’
Dailymail.com has contacted both organizations for comment.
