Semi-truck gets caught in power lines, takes out electricity for east El Paso VA clinic

A semi-truck got tangled in and brought down some power lines in east El Paso Friday morning, causing an electrical outage that forced the closure of a veterans’ clinic for the day.

El Paso Electric said the power lines got stuck on the truck, and as it kept moving the lines were pulled down.

It happened just after 6 a.m. near Lee Trevino and Montwood, which was closed to traffic following the incident.

Although firefighters initially found the downed lines sparking, utility workers said there were no fire concerns. There were also no injuries reported in the mishap.

The nearby El Paso Veterans Affairs’ Eastside Community Based Outpatient Clinic at 2400 Trawood Drive shut down for the day due to having no electricity.

It was one of about 1,000 El Paso Electric customers who lost power due to the mishap; the utility said service was restored for most around noon.

The VA said all Friday appointments were either rescheduled or transferred to the main VA campus at 5001 North Piedras Street.