Power restored in downtown Windsor after vehicle falls through ground into hydro vault
Power in parts of downtown Windsor has been restored after a piece of asphalt collapsed into a hydro vault downtown while there was a car on top of it.
Roughly 500 customers in the area were without electricity for roughly seven hours, according to the city's utility supplier Enwin.
No one was hurt in the incident.
Mike Coste, fire prevention officer for Windsor Fire, said the cause is under investigation.
It happened Tuesday around 4 p.m. in an alleyway behind the Royal Windsor Terrace condo building at 380 Pelissier Street.
I heard this huge explosion that I've never heard before. - Misty Sergi, downtown buisnesso owner
Misty Sergi is the owner of The Gifting Tree, the business next door.
"I was just at my door and I heard this huge explosion that I've never heard before, so I ran out of my store," she said.
Police and firefighters responded to the hydro vault collapse behind a condo building in downtown Windsor on Sept. 19, 2023. (Mike Evans/CBC)
Photos from the scene show a damaged vehicle that had fallen through the surface above it. A photo shared by Mayor Drew Dilkens showed scorch marks and what appears to be damaged equipment.
Enwin said the outage was due to "significant damage" to underground electrical infrastructure.
The collapse of an electrical vault in downtown Windsor on Tuesday afternoon prompted a large Windsor fire presence. (Mike Evans/CBC)
In a statement, the Downtown Windsor BIA said it was "deeply concerned" about the incident.
"We recognize the potential disruptions this event may cause businesses in the immediate area," the BIA said.
"Please be assured that the Downtown Windsor Business Improvement Area is committed to offering our full support to all affected businesses during this challenging time."
