Unclear why wire snapped, causing Valley power outage

It’s unclear what led an electrical wire to fall Friday night, causing Modern Electric customers in about a square mile of Spokane Valley to lose electricity. The wire fell about 8:40 p.m. near Pines and Cataldo Avenue, blocking traffic on Pines. “Something caused the line to break and fall across the road,” said Modern Electric lineman Tyler Stockman. “It’s unknown if it’s heat related or animal caused.” Most people were able to get their power back before repairs were complete, Stockman said. “We did some switching before we made repairs to get a majority of the customers back on,” he said. Pines Road was closed at Cataldo Avenue and traffic was diverted until about 11 p.m., the Washington State Patrol reported. This story was corrected on June 27, 2015. Because of an editor’s error, the original post incorrectly stated that a power pole fell. A power line fell, not a power pole.