Owl shorts out Kennett power line

Daily Dunklin Democrat

KENNETT, Mo. -- An owl caused an electrical power outage in a Kennett subdivision Friday morning and led to a doctor being hospitalized.

Utility superintendent Larry Jones said he had never seen anything quite like what had happened.

"A high voltage wire simply came apart midway between two poles, he said. "The wire showed no signs of wear, no splice, and there was no tree around it."

A few hours later, after investigating the site at Dr. Ted Manubay's house, city workers pieced together the puzzle. A horned owl with a 4-foot wingspan apparently flew into the power line.

"The fireball caused by the collision burned the wire in two," Jones said.

The owl was killed.

When Manubay went outside to investigate, he saw the covering of his pool was on fire. He was trying to put the fire out when he was shocked and burned from the wire. He was take to Twin Rivers Regional Medical Center.

"When there is a power line on the ground you have a voltage gradient that spreads through the ground," Jones said. "If you get too close you can get shocked."