Essential workers pivot to downed power lines amid freeze during Austin ice storms

Katie Hall, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read

The biggest issues Austin firefighters were facing shifted from collisions on Tuesday to power lines on Wednesday as below-freezing temperatures continued to cause chaos in the city.

Since 3 a.m. Wednesday, firefighters responded to 76 reports of wires arcing in the city as trees heavy with ice brought down some power lines and cut out power for large swaths of Austin. Officials are advising people not to call 911 for general flashes of light, but people should call 911 due to downed power lines or fires.

"Falling trees and downed power lines are creating an increase in call volume for first responders this morning," Austin-Travis County EMS said in a tweet Wednesday morning.

Power Outages:Austin Energy reports 100K+ customers without power. Electrical grid operating.

Firefighters work early Wednesday to extinguish a Northwest Austin fire in the 3900 block of Hawkshead Drive that started around a fireplace that was being used to heat the home, according to the Austin Fire Department. First responders have been responding to nonstop calls around the city as temperatures dipped below freezing.
Firefighters work early Wednesday to extinguish a Northwest Austin fire in the 3900 block of Hawkshead Drive that started around a fireplace that was being used to heat the home, according to the Austin Fire Department. First responders have been responding to nonstop calls around the city as temperatures dipped below freezing.

Still, crashes continued in the city Wednesday. A Westlake rollover traffic collision with power lines occurred across both northbound and southbound Loop 360. Details about injuries were not immediately available.

Firefighters also responded around 1 a.m. Wednesday to a Northwest Austin fire in the 3900 block of Hawkshead Dive that started around a fireplace that was being used to heat the home, according to the Austin Fire Department. Two occupants were hospitalized, and one dog died in the fire.

Austin witnessed dangerous road conditions Tuesday, with the city responding to over 300 crashes in Austin this week, according to the Austin Transportation Department.

Austin-Travis County EMS responded to 345 calls on Monday alone, including 11 falls on ice, 10 reports of potential hypothermia and one person exposed to carbon monoxide. They also took 11 people to cold weather shelters.

The medical service beefed up its response efforts by putting medics on squad trucks with four-wheel drive to allow them to respond to areas inaccessible for ambulance. Additional community health paramedics are also on duty.

Meteorologists warned Austin that the winter storm warning continues till 6 a.m. Thursday.

"While the heaviest precipitation is now behind us, this winter storm is not yet over," the National Weather Service said in a tweet late Wednesday morning. "Freezing drizzle and light freezing rain will continue off and on today into tonight. Don't assume roads that were just wet earlier today will be safe now."

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Essential workers pivot to downed power lines in Austin ice storms