Power line down in North Kildonan lights up sky Tuesday night

A fire caused by a fallen electrical line in North Kildonan caught the eye of people across Winnipeg Tuesday night.

Around 9:30 p.m., hydro and emergency crews were on scene at the intersection of Devon Avenue and Roch Street to get the fire caused by the sparking electrical line under control, Manitoba Hydro spokesperson Jacob Marks said.

"We shut off power to that area in hopes of stopping the sparking," Marks said."We still have no idea about when we'll be able to clear up the whole situation, but we're working on it with the first responders."

Later Tuesday night, a tweet from Manitoba Hydro estimated power would be restored around 2 a.m. Wednesday, with about 1,300 customers affected.

Robert Wintoniwlives two blocks away, and said he had just gone outside to smoke when he saw the blaze down the street.

"The sky was looking all weird. It was like flashing, pink-ish, orange-ish light," he said.

Wintoniw said he hopped on his bike to check out the scene, and saw the street filled with emergency vehicles as crews dealt with the fire.

He said the sound the lines made really stuck with him.

"It was really eerie," he said. "You could actually feel it vibrating in the ground. You could feel it through your feet. And this superincandescent light, sparks and occasionally puffs of smoke I've never seen anything like it before in my life."

In an emailed release late Tuesday night, the City of Winnipeg said the downed line forced the evacuation of nearby homes. Those people were later allowed to return to their homes.

The city said Roch Street and Brazier Street were closedbetween Devon Avenue and McLeod Avenue to allow crews to complete the work.