HAYWARD, CA — PG&E officials said a power pole caught fire Monday evening near the BART tracks in Hayward because of a flashover, which occurs when residue on power lines catches fire in the rain.
The fire prompted a response by Hayward firefighters and at about 5:30 p.m. the South Hayward BART station was closed because power lines near the fire posed a threat to the BART system.
Hayward Fire Department spokesman Capt. Don Nichelson said the power lines could have hit the BART tracks or a BART car.
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The South Hayward station was closed and BART shut off power to the system in the area after firefighters requested it.
The station closure caused a major delay on BART during the evening commute. Northbound trains from Warm Springs turned back at Union City and southbound trains turned back at the other Hayward station.
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The South Hayward station reopened at about 6:20 p.m. PG&E spokesman J.D. Guidi said the fire also caused a power outage, which at its height affected about 2,800 customers.
That was the second large power potage of the day in Hayward. The power also went out at 9:24 a.m. for 666 customers. It was finally repaired just before 2 p.m.
PG&E did not report in its alert the cause of the outage.
— Patch editor Bea Karnes and Bay City News contributed to this story
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