Storms Down Power Lines; Causes Fire and Damage to Business

KENOSHA, WI–This week’s severe storms caused downed power lines and a light show that could be seen for miles early Tuesday morning. Videos of the electrified lines causing a large flame circulated abound social media yesterday.

According to Village of Somers Fire Officials, crews responded shortly before 1 AM to the scene near the 8-thousand block of Highway E for power lines that had become electrified  at the pole. At a nearby business, downed lines caused so much radiant heat that the outside of the building suffered an undisclosed amount of damage; the nearby asphalt was completely burned away. No one was inside at the time, and the building itself did not get set ablaze.

There was heavy rain, strong winds, and low visibility because of the storm while crews tried to contain the situation. The wires were finally de-energized by 3 AM. Officials say that they want to remind everyone how dangerous downed lines can be at that you should always treat them as electrified.  Video of the incident is below…     

https://www.facebook.com/dave.whitt.10/videos/2731642600184139/