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Community Corner

Snowy Siege Leads to Injured Firefighter, More Power Outages in Melrose

High winds and heavy snow have caused plenty of power problems.

The first major blizzard of 2011 has turned out to be a doozy--complete with power outages for hundreds of Melrose residents and tense moments for local firefighters.

On Tremont St. on Wednesday morning, a tree and live wires fell on a Melrose fire truck. One firefighter injured an ankle, but no other injuries were incurred. National Grid was called to cut the tree and clear the live wires from the fire truck, which Melrose Fire dispatch reported had sustained a "little bit of damage."

As of early on Wednesday, National Grid was already reporting several power outages in Melrose in neighborhoods near Ell Pond and more outages in neighborhoods near W. Emerson and E. Foster. Later outages cropped up around East St., W. Wyoming, Melrose St., Maple St., and Washington St. Additonally, a gas leak and related water service disruption was reported at the intersection of Main and Foster streets. By Wednesday evening, National Grid reported that fewer than five households were experiencing problems. 
 

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

With snow beginning to fall in Melrose shortly before midnight on Wednesday, accumulation was fairly heavy by 8:00 a.m. Over 12 inches fell in town , with high winds complicating visual estimates. Heaviest snow fell throughout Wednesday morning, when visibility on the roads was often as limited as one-fourth of a mile.

City Hall reported around 9:00 a.m. and again at noon on Wednesday that the phones had been quiet, due in large part to careful plow preparation by the Melrose DPW.

Find out what's happening in Melrosewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The city remains under a snow emergency declaration until midnight on Thursday, Jan. 13. Schools and city offices are closed. For more information on cancellations and delays on public transportation, please check the .

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