As heavy winds swept Philadelphia on Sunday, a downed power line caused sparks and a brief power outage near Penn’s campus.
Feb. 16 wind gusts reached speeds of 50 mph to 60 mph, causing a live wire to fall at Locust Street between 40th and 41st streets. The event caused sparks and a small electrical fire when the wire swept under a car parked nearby. Several buildings — including Saxbys, a coffee shop frequented by Penn students — lost power in the surrounding area. The power outage also affected traffic lights and street lights in the nearby area at Spruce and Locust streets.
Penn Police and the Philadelphia Fire Department were called to the scene by a local pedestrian. Police closed the intersection at 40th and Walnut streets, as well as several blocks of Locust just westward of 40th Street.
PECO sent an alert earlier in the day warning of the approaching “rain and strong winds, with gusts potentially reaching 45-50 mph.” As of 5:25 p.m., the alert no longer appeared on the PECO website.
Requests for comment were left with Penn's Division of Public Safety, PECO Energy Company, and the Philadelphia Fire Department.
High winds caused debris to fall from the rooftops of 3906 Spruce St. and the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house, shattering a window on the second floor of 3906 Spruce St.
A comment was left with the Office of Fraternity/Sorority Life requesting additional information.
A tarp-like piece of one of the buildings’ roofs was seen in a small yard between the two buildings, extending into the fenced area of 3906 Spruce St. Various pieces of wood had also fallen in the yard close to the adjoining parking lot of SAE. A power line between the two buildings was also caught under the fallen debris, causing lights inside SAE to flicker and dim.
High wind warnings labeled as posing a "significant threat to life or property" are in place until 6 p.m. on Monday.
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