Westbury backyard fire sparked by snagged wires, police say
Westbury firefighters respond to a fire on Thursday, Dec. 1, 2016, in Westbury. A cement truck hit low-hanging electrical wires on a side street in Westbury, snapping a utility pole and starting a backyard fire -- after the wires fell into a fish pond, police said. Credit: Jim Staubitser
A cement truck hit low-hanging electrical wires on a side street in Westbury on Thursday morning, snapping a utility pole and starting a backyard fire — after the wires fell into a fish pond.
Nassau County police said the bizarre chain of events happened on Cypress Lane West and was reported in a 911 call at 9:34 a.m.
Police said that after the wires fell into a backyard fish pond at a home on nearby Cottonwood Lane, sparks caused downed leaves and a fence to catch fire.
Firefighters from Westbury Fire Department responded and handled the small blaze.
Police said repairs are ongoing, and the road is open.
Additional details were not immediately available.
John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
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