The man’s death occurred at the Northwest Lineman College campus in Oroville, just northeast of Oroville Municipal Airport. The man who died was training to become a lineman and was on the utility pole, which “ultimately failed, causing the victim to fall along with” the pole, the Oroville Police Department announced Monday afternoon in a news release.
Police said emergency first responders performed life-saving measures, but the student died from his injuries at the scene. The Butte County Coroner’s Office will release the student’s name after his family has been notified.
The student’s death occurred during regular teaching hours at the lineman college. Police officials called for Butte County Sheriff’s Office chaplains to offer counseling services to the students, including those who witnessed the incident.
The Police Department did not release any further details about the man’s death or its investigation, which it said was “ongoing.”
The Northwest Lineman campus is home to an electrical line program, where students learn how to safely construct, maintain and operate the power grid while working with heavy equipment, power lines and bucket trucks, according to the college’s website.
Northwest Lineman College has four total campuses in California, Idaho, Texas and Florida.