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Fireman’s
death was
accidental/

Heritage

effort
awarded
PAGE 31

IN FINDING the electrocution death of North

Vancouver District

firefighter

Capt. Daniel

Williams to be accidental, the five-member cor-
oner’s jury called for better cooperation between
fire departments and B.C. Hydro.

Deliberatinu for nearly six
hours Monday after hearing
three days of testimony from
{7 witeesses, the jury
delivare.t . total of 21 rece
ares: dations, 12 10 Hydro,
inne to the District of North
‘Sancouver fire deparunent.

Williams, 35, was killed
June J8 when he came into
contact with 230,000
kilovolis from a) transmis-
sion Jine $50 feet north of
Braemar Street in) North

Vancouver. Responding to
emergency calls reporting a
fire and possible airplane
crash in the area, Willits
and fellow firefighter Paul
Degraaf made their way to
the fire.

Unknown to the
firefighters there had been
no crash. Trees growing too
close to the transmission
Hines had, instead, created an
arcing effect, causing the
treetops ta explade and
subsequently energizing the
ground. pecting to Tinid a
fire and people possibly in-

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jured from a crash, the two
firefighters walked into a
fatal high voltage trap.
RECOMMENDATIONS

In calling for closer Hydro
scrutiny of its: transmission
line rights of way, the jury
adopted recommendations
mide Monday in’ evidence
given by Hydro production
manager Demetrius Panaioti.

The professional mmgineer
told the inquest that after
the accident Hydro realized
growth rates af trees, acet-
racy of assessing tree height
measurements and
transmission fine sag under
heavy electrical loads all re-
quired more careful atten-
tion.

Festimieny Friday bs

.
23

actress
profiled
PAGE 37

SMASHED HULL and
remains of the
Kimberley are hauled
ashore at Horseshoe
Bay. The 35-foot fishing
boat collided with a

‘jumbo-sized ferry.

Hydro production superin-
tendent Dennis Blakely
stated that tree growth in the
area had been a phenomenal
four to six feet over the
period from May 22 to June
18, rather than the projected
one foot.

Panaioti added that sag in
the transmission lines, due to
increased load, had been an
additional one and a half
feet. Beeause an adjacent
transmission tine was
undergoing repairs, the line
involved was doing double
duty, carrying a 400 rather
thin a 200 ampere electrical
load, Panaioti explained. He
abo mentioned that even a
thick column of smoke situ-