news-record.com

BROWNS SUMMIT — A cellular tower fell today in northeastern Guilford County.

Firefighters were called to 7760 Ferrin Road at about 10:15 a.m. today. The tower, which is several hundred feet tall, fell in the woods behind a home and pulled down some power lines.

No injuries were reported.

The tower is owned by Crown Castle International, which is based in Houston. According to its Web site, the company owns 23,500 communications tower across the United States. Crews were working on the tower this morning when it fell.

It is unclear what caused the tower to fall on a day with minimal winds. Emergency personnel declined comment, and a company representative at the scene referred reporters to corporate headquarters. A company spokesman has not returned a telephone call.

Keith Hudson said the tower is a local landmark that has been around at least 15 years, or longer than he has lived on Ferrin Road. About six months ago, workers started a project to shorten the tower by about 200 feet. In recent weeks crews had added lights, repainted the structure and re-strung guide wires.

About an hour before the tower fell, Hudson said he saw workers about halfway up the tower, which he estimated at 800 feet. He happened to look up and saw the tower leaning about five feet, then watched as it fell straight to the ground. Hudson said he was worried about the safety of the workers until he saw them emerge from the woods.

"That's an act of God that no one was on that tower," Hudson said.

Hudson said he did not notice any wind gusts. He said he talked briefly after the collapse with a company supervisor, who said he had no idea why the tower tipped over.