Leaving the fest, anyone else see this??

[DCELL]

As I was leaving the fest Sunday (I left just as it started raining hard, the raffle was still wrapping up), I witnessed a pole transformer explode as I was waiting to turn onto KY4/ new circle road. The stop light blinked a couple times and rain and wind were starting to get very violent. All of a sudden there was a blinding blue flash and a shower of sparks just behind me. At first I thought lightning hit it. Just wondering if anyone else saw it or if I was the only one! Definitely not something I'll forget for a while!

 

[MayorDJQ]

Didn't see it, but I work in the electric utility business, and electrical items can make some pretty dramatic displays. Even something as minor as a blowing transformer fuse is enough to kake you jump out of your shoes.

 

[mo_focus]

yeah wife saw it from our room!

 

[TDI Stevestr]

Oh man wish I had seen it. They can also be pretty loud when they blow. All I had was some band playing at the bar next door blasting into my room until 11:00 last night.

 

[MonsterTDI09]

yeah wife saw it from our room!

+1

 

[Lug_Nut]

I happened to also see it. I was surprised that the hotel didn't lose power, but the book store and seafood restaurant (and probably others) did for about 5 seconds before an alternate supply was connected.
Pretty impressive, I thought.
Oh yeah, the flash was impressive too.

 

[MayorDJQ]

The "fault" was probably isolated by the transformer fuse(s) and/or may have been downstream from the hotel or simply on another feeder. Sometimes even a branch across the primaries can make a huge shower of sparks and blow fuses.

 

[TDIDaveNH]

I was lying in bed at the time, but recall a peculiar sounding thunder clap which touched down rather close to the hotel and was alarming, but chalked it up to Kentucky thunder just sounding different and went back to bed.

 

[VeeDubTDI]

I was looking out the window of the room and saw what looked like lighting out by that stoplight. I guess it was the xformer blowing up!

 

[AndyBees]

Yeah, I heard it from the room......thought it was Thunder! And, the utility trucks and repairmen were on-site working on it as we drove into town for Breakfast!

 

[Ski in NC]

Just a little tidbit about power lines: The fuses have a little explosive charge inside that does two things: Mechanically separate the fuse so a lineman observing from the road can see the "open load", and also: blow out any arc that that might start if a standard type fuse is used. So a fuse blowing can be really dramatic. BANG and lots of sparks!

 

[MayorDJQ]

Yep, like a shotgun, but even louder.