OXFORD – Fire police and emergency personnel were called to the scene of a broken NYSEG utility pole and had to shut down a portion of South Washington Avenue in the Village of Oxford for nearly three hours Sunday.

The pole which was visibly aged, “simply snapped” at its base where it made contact with the ground according to bystanders on the scene.

A call was placed to Chenango County 911 dispatchers who called in NYSEG engineers for repairs as the pole and its high voltage wires dangled over the street leading up to the Oxford Elementary and High Schools.

Fire police from Oxford worked quickly to establish a perimeter around the Oxford High School football field as live mains voltage service wires remained draped and in contact with a metal chin link fence, creating a potential electrocution hazard.

The fallen pole left at least one residence without power for several hours when wires were pulled and disconnected from the home at 42 South Washington. The homeowner extinguished a small fire caused by the arcing wires that made contact with dry leaves on his property.