Winter Storm in Louisiana Creates Scary Light Show

Sometimes that smartphone video camera is in the right place at the right time … if you consider being near an electric power hazard the right place.

After a rare Louisiana winter storm earlier this week, some residents of the city of Kenner (near Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport) witnessed this series of fireballs when a transformer blew.

WDSU-TV New Orleans aired the scene which has since gone viral on social media. The New York Post quoted Chris Fitzmorris, the plumbing store owner who videoed the event, as saying, “I’ve never seen electrical lines do that.”

But it is a sobering reminder of the kind of danger that electric linemen potentially face each time they go out to restore service. According to reports, many thousands of homes throughout the south have lost power due to this week’s unusual cold.

Back in 2016, we shared another viral video, this one showing a wooden utility pole reduced to splinters in flash during a lightning storm. Electricity is a powerful force and that’s why rural cooperatives place so much emphasis on safety.