A vehicle rolled over and caught fire Wednesday night after hitting multiple utility poles on Dow Road in Standish.
Central Maine Power Co. turned off power in a section of Standish as a precaution, leaving more than 1,000 people without electricity around 9:30 p.m., according to the dispatcher and CMP’s website.
The crash happened just after 9 p.m. when Nicholas Cawood, 24, of Standish lost control of his 2010 Dodge pickup truck and it struck several utility poles, rolled onto its side and caught fire, according to a statement Thursday morning from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.
Speed and alcohol were factors in the crash, the statement said.
An unidentified caller who reported the crash said the driver was trapped in the burning vehicle amid downed power lines. The sheriff’s office requested and was granted an immediate shutdown of the power grid for the area.
Cawood was able to extricate himself from the truck with the help of some area residents, the sheriff’s office said. He suffered only minor injuries but a 13-week-old puppy in the truck was killed.
Cawood was charged with operating under the influence and released at the scene.
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