By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – An 18-wheeler snared a power line causing a chain reaction that knocked down several power poles in LaPlace Friday morning. The accident caused power outages to widespread areas of LaPlace around 9:40 a.m. Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters were on the scene.

Capt. Dane Clement, spokesman for the St. John Sheriff’s Office, said Entergy reported outages to more than 5,700 customers in the LaPlace area. Three feeder lines were also taken out in the accident, caused by a delivery truck that snagged a power line behind a LaPlace strip mall.

Clement said the accident caused a transformer on one of the poles to catch fire, but it was quickly extinguished. No injuries were reported. He also said the strip mall near the accident was evacuated as a precaution.

Power started to come back on in some locations around noon, but Entergy reported that some of the outages were expected to be prolonged. Customers north of Airline Highway were expected to have power restored by the end of Friday, but some customers south of Airline may not have power restored until today, according to Entergy. 

Meanwhile, the loss of power prompted parish officials to ask residents to refrain from activities that require excessive wastewater use in order to prevent sewer backups. Parish spokesperson Paige Braud said some sewer lift stations in the area were without power. Residents are asked to refrain from laundry, excessive washing and flushing of toilets where possible until power is fully restored.

Braud said the parish utilized the FirstCall system to relay messages to all residents and businesses in the LaPlace area. For information regarding the status of power in your area, call 1-800-9OUTAGE.