Community Corner

Lightning Strike Was "Like An Earthquake"

Plainview man recounts his jolting experience when a lightning bolt downed a power line outside his home during last night's storm.

For Plainview resident Kaya Keykurun the thrill of a summer tempest turned to momentary terror when a lightning bolt struck a utility pole outside of his home around 7 p.m. Thursday night, downing a major power line. 

Keykurun was inside his home on the corner of Manetto Hill Road and Nick Place when he heard a loud bang and felt what he described as "seismic vibrations." From his first floor window he saw sparks spewing violently from a downed power line in the street.

"It was almost like pyrotechnics," he said. "Sparks were coming out of both sides."  

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The light emitted from the power line was so bright that it temporarily affected Keykurun's vision in much the same way as staring at the sun. The current was so powerful that it turned the pavement to molten rock, then to glass.  

Traffic along Manetto Hill Road was closed in both directions for about six hours while emergency response teams worked to secure the area. The lightning strike also knocked out power in the immediate area until well past midnight. 

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