The remains of a large tree are seen Friday evening, Dec. 23, after wind felled it at 391 Old Jay Hill Road in Jay. The home was still without power Tuesday because the tree pulled the electric meter from the home when it fell. Patrick Duffy photo
JAY — As of Tuesday, Dec. 27, a home at 391 Old Jay Hill had been without power since the previous Friday after a large poplar tree was felled by the wind.
The home is owned by Dennis Corriveau, according to the Jay Town Office. Jay Fire Chief Mike Booker earlier Tuesday said he wasn’t able to make out the last name in the phone message.
An unidentified man stands Tuesday, Dec. 27, in the driveway at 391 Old North Jay Hill Road in Jay. Friday night wind brought down the large poplar tree on the home’s lawn damaging two vehicles and pulling the electric meter from the home. Jessi Harnden photo
“We cut the tree up then the Jay Highway Department brought its bucket loader to push the stuff out of the roadway to make it passable,” Booker said. “It did damage two vehicles, part of the house when it pulled the meter off.”
Neighbor Patrick Duffy said he has lived across the street since 2002. He had left at 5:30 p.m. Friday evening to pick up his daughter at the bus station, got a call from his wife about 15 minutes or so later when he was in Fayette. He said she had heard this big cracking, was panicking.
“Five houses lost power,” Duffy said. The tree fell on a small gray van, breaking the windshield, and the back end of a black car that were parked in the driveway, he noted. He estimated the tree to be a couple hundred years old, “it had been there forever.” Four wheelers with plows were used to remove the debris from the road, he added.
Neighbors had concerns about the tree, Duffy said. Corriveau was told it would cost $7,000 to $8,000 to cut it down and a large crane would be needed because it was so big, he noted.
Jay Fire responded to eight trees and lines down calls around town Friday night, Booker said.
“We were back [at 391 Old Jay Hill Road] yesterday to pump about 12 inches of water from his basement,” Booker said. “Without power, his sump pump was not working.”
The other homes affected have had their power restored, Booker noted. Because the meter was pulled from the home, the Corriveaus were still without power, he added.
Jay Fire responded to Livermore Falls calls twice over the weekend due to flooding issues, Booker said.
Livermore Fire Chief Donald Castonguay said Tuesday his department spent about four hours Friday night dealing with trees and lines down. “Early Friday it wasn’t bad, but we had some gusts of wind between 6 and 7 [p.m.] that did quite a bit of damage,” he noted. “We went to Turkey Lane, Saunders and Gibbs Mill Road where a transformer was down.”
There was some minor flooding on Boothby and River roads, no fires, Castonguay added.
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