Electrical lines from a toppled utility pole kill 4 horses as Puerto Rico's power grid deteriorates
There was no word immediately as to what had caused the pole in the mountain town of Utuado to fall. Police said in a statement that officials and firefighters were at the scene.
It was the latest incident affecting Puerto Rico's crumbling power grid, which is still being rebuilt after Hurricane Maria pummeled the island as a powerful Category 4 storm in September 2017.
Chronic outages still regularly strike the island as the government pledges to end the contract of Luma, a private company that oversees the transmission and distribution of power on the island.
In March 2018, a utility pole fell in the central mountain town of Las Marías and killed a couple in their 60s who were driving through the town, sparking outrage over the state of infrastructure six months after the hurricane.
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Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
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Wildfire burns through northern suburb of Greece's capital Athens and residents are told to evacuate
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — A wildfire burned through a northern suburb of the Greek capital of Athens on Saturday and some residents were ordered to evacuate, the country's Fire Service reported. Residents of the town of Kryoneri, 20 kilometers (12.5 miles) northeast of Athens received 3 SMS messages to evacuate to safe areas, Fire Service spokesman Vassilis Vathrakoyannis told reporters. Greek media have shown houses on fire. The spokesman said 'there have been reports of damages. We will take stock when the fires have been put out.' 'The real difficulties are ahead of us,' Vathrakoyannis said, adding that Greece has asked for six firefighting planes from the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism. On site, 145 firefighters and 44 fire engines, 10 firefighting planes and seven helicopters are attempting to put out the fire, whose origin is unknown. Four ambulances are treating at least five residents, most of them elderly with respiratory problems. Temperatures reaching, or exceeding, 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit), dry conditions and high winds are fanning the flames. Under such conditions wildfires 'expand very quickly and become dangerous. These conditions are expected to prevail over the coming days,' Vathrakoyannis said. The fire service is also dealing with three other major fires in the southwest on Greece's two largest islands — Crete in the south and Evia north of Athens — and also on the island of Kythera, northwest of Crete. At least 335 firefighters, 19 planes and 13 helicopters are involved, but can only operate in daylight. In total, 52 wildfires broke out across the country over the past 24 hours, the spokesman said. Wildfires, many of them destructive, have become a common occurrence in Greece in recent years. Several have broken out in the past month. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
