Part of Glenmore Road is closed as emergency crews clean up a single-vehicle accident that damaged a power pole late Monday night.
The accident took place along the 4200 block of Glenmore Road, near Chase Road, at approximately 11:30 p.m. on Monday, with power being knocked out to 62 homes.
Power was restored this morning at approximately 7:41 a.m., but, because the accident involved a transformer, the road is closed so crews can clean up fluid spills.
According to Kelowna RCMP, a grey Pontiac G5 left the road and hit a power pole. The force of the collision caused the power pole, which had a live transformer attached to it, to fall onto a portion of Glenmore Road.
“A substance believed to be mineral oil, from within the transformer, covered the roadway posing a risk to motorists,” said Kelowna RCMP Cpl. Jesse O’Donaghey.
Police called B.C. Hydro to dispatch repair crews and also arranged for a tow removal of the Pontiac. A spokesperson for B.C. Hydro said approximately 60 litres of oil was spilled, and that there were small amounts of PCBs within the oil. According to the spokesperson, the amount of PCBs spilled was below the required amount for reporting to Environment Canada.
The driver of the Pontiac, a 22-year-old Kelowna man, sustained relatively minor injuries and walked away from the accident. Police said alcohol was not a factor in the accident, but the man was issued a fine under the Motor Vehicle Act. Witnesses who have not yet spoken to police can call Lake Country RCMP at 250-766-2288.
There was no word as to when Glenmore Road will be fully reopened to traffic. As of this afternoon, though, the road was operating with single-lane alternating traffic.
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