Lightning Strike Zaps Power
By: Cynthia Koons , Staff Writer, Messenger Press: http://www.messengerpress.com
Lightning left some Washington Township residents without power for more than two hours on Saturday, Aug. 30.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. —Lightning struck a utility pole on Sharon Road leaving some residents without power for more than two hours Saturday afternoon.
Washington Township Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Brink said a call came from a resident who saw lightning hit a power transformer on a utility pole at the Sharon Arms Apartments, located at 55 Sharon Road. When the lightning hit the pole, witnesses reported seeing a large flash of light.
"No apartments were hit or damaged — it was just lightning striking a pole," Deputy Chief Brink said.
There were no reported injuries and no residents were evacuated.
The accident left Sharon Arms, Sharon Mews and other Sharon Road residents without power from 4 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Police Capt. Martin Masseroni said traffic was diverted from the scene of the lightning strike because power lines were strewn across the road.
The cleanup was completed within an hour. PSE&G arrived at the scene to repair the utility pole and reconnect the power.
PSE&G handled a few other power outages in Mercer County that afternoon because of the storm, but no other outages related to this lightning strike.
Deputy Chief Brink said that there haven't been many lightning strikes in Washington Township recently that he's aware of. But he said it's not uncommon for buildings, trees or poles to get hit during storms.
PSE&G spokeswoman Sandra Cruz said that lightning rarely strikes transformers.
"It's a very rare situation; it only happens during the summer and it doesn't happen that often," she said.
Washington Township firefighter Steven Schnaudt said that after the power line was struck, it fell into the street in an arc.
The firefighters then had to ensure no pedestrians or drivers came into contact with the live wire.
"With high voltage lines, you have to make sure nobody comes into contact with them," Mr. Schnaudt said. PSE&G had to turn off the power to the region in order to protect the residents' safety.
When the wires fell, Mr. Schnaudt said, portions of the street were singed by the heat.
"You had a lot of flames and smoke where you had the wire coming into contact with the street," Mr. Schnaudt said. "It burned up the pavement and concrete curb."
Power outages stretched to the Trenton-Robbinsville Airport on Sharon Road and Route 130, where the streetlights were nonfunctioning for a short time, he said.