Power Lines Trapped Cars

Utility poles toppled onto the street on Wednesday in Stoneham, Mass. Stoneham Police Department via AP

STONEHAM, Mass. — Seven utility poles along a suburban Boston street toppled into the road on Wednesday morning, trapping one driver, police said.

Police received more than two dozen 911 calls when the poles came down along Montvale Avenue in Stoneham just north of Boston at about 9:30 a.m., police said in a statement.

There were no reports of injuries.

The occupant of one vehicle was trapped by downed wires, and that person, although not injured, had to wait until the power was cut before being freed. The vehicle was not struck by a pole, but video from the scene showed poles and power lines on other vehicles, including a tractor-trailer.

It was not immediately clear from the initial investigation what caused the utility poles to fall over, police said.

Several hundred electric customers in the area lost power.

Traffic lights at Montvale Avenue and the intersection with Interstate 93 were also knocked out, creating traffic problems. The public was asked to avoid the area.

A hazardous materials team also responded because two transformers that were on utility poles that fell started to leak, police said.

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