Power restored after deadly crash took out transmission tower in Northwest Fresno

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- PG&E has restored power to thousands of customers in Central Fresno, about 19 hours after a deadly crash caused a high voltage tower to collapse.

Utility crews will spend the next few days in the area completing final repairs

Police have identified the driver as Rita Gray, 29, of Fresno. She was driving home from her job at a local call center and was just blocks from home when she slammed into the power transmission tower.

The violent crash early Thursday morning not only took a life but also put neighbors and first responders in danger.

Police officers said the crash killed the driver of the SUV and the impact into the transmission line caused power lines to go down which then caused a hazardous scene. The live power lines down in the area then caused a grassfire to ignite in a field just across the street from Lions Park. People who heard the deadly crash said officers were on their loudspeakers telling people to stay inside their homes until crews could be sure they de-energized those power lines.

Initially, the crash put 70,000 people out of power.