Burning Power Pole Worries Franklin County Man

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Jessie Young says a power pole has been burning and smoldering intermittently since Monday in his Franklin County yard.

At one point he had to call the fire department, when the top section burned off. His biggest concern is that the pole sits next to his barn that's stocked with 30 truckloads of firewood.

"It'd be gone," Young said. "It would burn so quickly, the fire department, it'd be gone before they got out here. There wouldn't be any way they could save it."

He says this problem has become a real worry. So much so, that he sprays down the area around the pole several times a day

"We've been scared to leave it on the account of the fire. You think it's out and it blazes back up. It's just scary," he said.

Young is understanding that he still doesn't have power, but he says this is a safety issue that should have been handled days ago.

He says he's called APCo every day since Friday's storm, but he hasn't even seen a bucket truck.

"It makes you angry," he says. "They're always hollering for a rate increase, APCo is, and I'm sure they're going to get a big one after this. You always pay your bill on time and they ought to have someone to come out and fix it when you call them."

We called Appalachian Power to see what's the hold up. A spokeswoman said they've been busy all over the region and a line crew is planning on getting to the pole this evening.

For now, Young says he'll keep spraying down the area around the pole, to try to keep it from burning down his barn.