Lightning strike sparks huge fire in South Carolina

A dramatic lightning strike was caught on dash cam in South Carolina on Monday morning when a bolt exploded an electrical transformer along Highway 17 in Mount Pleasant, northeast of Charleston.

Morning Commute Turns Dangerous

With torrential wind and rain making driving conditions difficult, the lightning strike created a sudden fireball that lit up the grey skies above. The split-second blast turned the morning commute into a scene of chaos. The bolt detonated the transformer in a blinding flash before igniting a raging fire.

Almost immediately, several electric power lines overloaded and surged, catching fire. Multiple blue electrical explosions lit up the area, and sparks rained down from overhead wires onto the road. For a brief moment, it seemed as if day had turned into night, as thick black smoke poured from the flames and drifted across the road.

Power Outages and Traffic Delays

The impact caused traffic lights to fail instantly, leaving them out of action for around three hours. The struck powerline also came down during what police described as “particularly nasty weather.”

Mount Pleasant Police Department tweeted, “A bit too much excitement for a Monday!” They confirmed that the lightning strike caused the power outages and traffic delays but reported that no one was injured. Dominion Energy crews responded quickly, restoring power and removing the downed wires.

The department added that the strike occurred around 11 a.m. at the intersection of Highway 17 and Shelmore Boulevard. More than a dozen officers and Community Service Officers (CSOs) managed traffic at seven intersections for roughly three hours until the lights were restored.

Tropical Storm Erin Brewing in the Atlantic

The torrential rains in South Carolina came during what has been a quiet season for tropical storms so far this summer. However, forecasters warned that Tropical Storm Erin — churning hundreds of miles east of the Caribbean — could strengthen into the season’s first Atlantic hurricane later this week.

Erin formed on Monday in the eastern tropical Atlantic Ocean. By Monday afternoon, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center reported that Erin was about 430 miles west-northwest of the Cabo Verde Islands with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, moving westward at 20 mph.

The hurricane center said Erin could reach hurricane strength by the latter part of the week but noted it is still too early to predict any direct impacts on land. Dangerous sea conditions and rip currents are expected from Daytona Beach, Florida, up to Nantucket, Massachusetts.

Possible US East Coast and Bermuda Impacts

Experts say if Erin grows considerably in size and strength, tropical-storm-force conditions could extend outward for 100 miles or more. Even a major hurricane passing 100 miles east of the US or west of Bermuda could still bring strong winds, rough seas, and heavy rain.

Max Devitt, a meteorologist at WINKNews in Florida, posted on X that even if Erin stays offshore, it could become a powerful Atlantic hurricane capable of producing large waves and rip currents along the East Coast. “Bermuda still needs to closely monitor this system,” he added.

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