Downed power line sets cars on fire

A downed power line in Ronkonkoma set two cars and several trees ablaze Tuesday, according to the Lakeland Fire Department.

A private contractor was trimming trees when he knocked down a branch that took down the power line, Vanessa Baird-Streeter, a spokeswoman for the Long Island Power Authority said. LIPA officials shut off power to the area and repaired the line, she said. Power was later restored.

At about 3:40 p.m., fire officials received calls about the power line and fire, Assistant Chief Joseph Trzepizur said.

When firefighters arrived, they discovered that a live power line had fallen across a home's driveway, setting the cars on fire, he said.

The live line meant officials had to call in the Long Island Power Authority to shut off the electricity before fighting the majority of the blaze, Trzepizur said.

"We knocked down the one car fire that was farther away from the line to protect the house," Trzepizur said. "We waited for the arrival of LIPA to fully extinguish the remaining fire."