A utility pole that had been leaning precariously for weeks sent out sparks, toppled over and, accompanied by a loud boom, cut power to a section of northeast Minneapolis early Sunday evening. The pole, located at Lowry Av. NE. and NE. Ulysses St. edges Windom park, where dozens of people were enjoying the unusually warm day. James Warren, a northeast Minneapolis resident, was driving by and saw the event unfold. He snapped a picture of the park grass burning adjacent to where a group had been picnicking. Firefighters stationed three blocks away on NE. Johnson St. arrived within minutes. The base of the pole had been wrapped in red "caution" tape for at least a week. Thought that pole's maintenance is under the jurisdiction of Xcel Energy, a spokesman for the company, Tom Hoen, said that a records check showed that they "had not received one service call on that pole." "In any situation, if we get a call from a resident or whoever saying, hey, there's a pole that's leaning in my backyard or driveway, or whatever it might be, we dispatch a crew right away to investigate," said Hoen. Hoen later acknowledged the utility may have gotten a call on Friday from a woman concerned about the condition of the pole. "We are investigating to find out if something went awry [in our reporting system], he said. The pole only services the irrigation system for Windom park, but neighbors also experienced a power outage when the falling of the pole triggered an Xcel system safety mechanism, Hoen said. The automatic outage ensures that firefighter can work safely in the area, according to Hoen. Contractors for Xcel Energy began routine inspection of utility poles in 2006. They inspect about 30,000 poles annually and tag three to five percent of them for replacement and, occasionally, reinforcement with metal rods dug into the ground. Poles are meant to last 40 to 60 years and Xcel expects that each pole will be inspected about every 12 years, Hoen said.