'A Shower of Sparks' in Valley Mede

Utility trucks were working on the power lines in the Valley Mede neighborhood Monday afternoon, according to resident Monica Cortada.

When a branch fell onto a power line near her home Friday night she said, "It caused a shower of sparks and a small fire that fused the fallen branch into a pine tree."

The storm that caused the damage, however, also helped curb a potentially more hazardous situation.

"The rain put out the fire before the fire trucks got here," she said. "It was pretty scary!" To add to the problems, "Power went out while I was on the landline with 911 to tell them about the fire," she said.

"Amazingly," she said, her power was only out for an hour. Across the street, Cortada said, power was restored at about 3 p.m. Monday.

Valley Mede is one of several neighborhoods that, according to some residents, has been plagued with unreliable service from BGE. In February, . 

A spokesperson for the Public Service Commission said the investigation should be complete by the end of the year.