‘Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, but Hydro One does’

News -

A couple living in the Greater Sudbury community of Worthington are calling for answers -- and change. They say two forest fires that started near their home exactly four years apart were caused by what they say is ignorance and negligence by Hydro One.

“Back in 2020 we had a fire on May 23,” said Jesse Hammell.

The first fire in 2020 destroyed 25 acres, the second fire, in May of this year, destroyed another 17. (Photo from video)“We were at the beach and came up for dinner. And all of a sudden the hydro was out and there was smoke everywhere. We lost (around) 25 acres.”

Four years later, again on May 23, the couple and their neighbours lost another 17 acres to fire.

“It was terrifying,” Hammell said.

CTV first met with Hammell and her husband Chris after the May 23 forest fire this year. They said both fires were caused by a lack of maintenance by Hydro One.

“Lightning doesn't strike the same place twice, but Hydro One does,” Hammell said.

“And they proved it -- and hopefully they do something about it now.”

CTV News submitted a freedom of information request to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry to confirm the cause of both the 2020 and 2024 fires.

Jessie Hammell says two forest fires that started near their Worthington, Ont., home exactly four years apart were caused by what they say is ignorance and negligence by Hydro One. (Photo from video)

While there was no information on the cause of this year’s fire, the fire information report for 2020 had this to say: “Based on my observation, the fire started from a downed tree on a power line.”

In response, Hydro One provided a statement that said, in part:

“The safety of our customers and communities is our top priority, and our hearts are with our customers who have been impacted by these incidents. In 2020, a fire was caused by trees that fell onto our power line. In response, our crews worked quickly and safely to clear the trees and repair and replace damaged equipment.”

“Since that time, our crews also met with the impacted property owner, at their request, to remove additional trees along our power line to mitigate the risk of future damage.”

But Hammell said while trees were marked following the fire in 2020, they weren’t cleared until this spring – and only after multiple attempts to contact the company.

While her property is now clear, she said her concern has turned to others in the area. Her neighbours, Hammell said, have not had any tree removal done to prevent a similar situation.

o    Download our app to get local alerts on your device

o    Get the latest local updates right to your inbox

“I ended up posting some of the phone numbers and handing them out to people so they could (contact) people at Hydro One directly instead of doing their 1-800 number and going nowhere,” she said.

Jesse Hammell and her husband Chris both the 2020 and 2024 fires were caused by a lack of maintenance by Hydro One. (Photo from video)

“Even then, they only cleared a certain part of our property. And all the neighbours have the same issue -- all their lines.”

Hydro One said vegetation on this particular power line is maintained on a three-year cycle, and that work is scheduled for this year.

Hydro One also said that it’s important for customers to do their part to keep their service line clear. Once a year, homeowners can submit a request for crews to temporarily disconnect power so work can be done safely.

Information on how to identify which areas Hydro One is responsible for versus a customer can be found under Request a Tree Trimming Service online.