Emergency crews are asking all drivers to avoid the Meadows Intersection in Duncansville, Blair County, after a crash caused another vehicle to catch fire, Friday.
Allegheny Township Police said a man was driving south into Duncansville just after 11:30 a.m., when he swerved, drove over the northbound lanes and collided into the support cables of a pole; the pole then cracked, bringing down live wires, which then came down onto two other vehicles. A van driving through the intersection burst into flames after the wires fell on the roof.
The driver of the van made it out safely, before it caught fire and the other drivers car was just singed. The man that crashed into the support cables was sent to UPMC Altoona for his injuries.
Sharing what he saw, the driver of the van described the moment everything happened.
“I pulled up to the red light, stopped and flashes of light came across the car and then the cable came down and hit the windshield and I’m thinking what the heck,” Robert Huss said. “I get out to look and I opened the door and another big spark of light came flying.”
Businesses in the area lost power for a period of time after the crash.
The Allegheny Township Fire Chief said the entire section will remain closed until 9 p.m. Friday.
Plank Road will be closed starting at Convention Center Boulevard to the Sheetz in Duncansville, to North Juniata Street to Hollidaysburg and then Municipal Drive towards the intersection.