April 28, 2017
It was a Dark and Stormy Night
Due to severe weather delays, we were overstaffed at work this morning. As a result, I got off way early and about 5:30, as I was driving home, a lightning bolt struck next to me and showered my van in burning tree parts.
After a moment, I noted that the stricken tree next was next to a neighbors house and was burning with alarming intensity despite the downpour. I got out to see if it could be put out or to help the people get out as this was looking pretty grim.
The owner of the house and I tried to put out the fire but neither the rain nor our bucket brigade was having any effect. After an embarrassingly long interval, I had a neuron fire and realized that the tree wasn't burning, the ground was. I advised the gentleman to call the fire department NOW because it could be a peat fire and that could be the end of the whole block.
But wait...It was quite intense for peat. The ground around it was undulating and hissing...and it kept getting more intense until it was almost like...a blowtorch.
Oh. Lord. The lightning struck a gas main!
We kept the bucket brigade on it to keep it from igniting the tree or the house until the police arrived and decided to let it burn off the gas until the firetruck arrived, at which point I moved my van to make room for the ladder truck and carried my bedraggled ass home.
Looking at the rain, I really don't think I'm going to get the grass today.
Posted by: The Brickmuppet at
08:14 AM
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1
Glad you and your vehicle are okay. I am glad you helped your neighbor out. Good citizenship like that is the thing that keeps our whole society going.
Don't kick yourself about not getting 10/10 on every decision. Getting out to help was the important part.
Don't kick yourself about not getting 10/10 on every decision. Getting out to help was the important part.
Posted by: Suburbanbanshee at Fri Apr 28 09:21:05 2017 (S0Svy)
2
Just being that close to a lightning strike is pretty disorienting even without flames shooting out of the ground. It's LOUD.
Posted by: Pixy Misa at Sat Apr 29 07:02:37 2017 (PiXy!)
3
Damn right it's loud. I was half a municipal parking lot away from one, and it was so loud I never heard it. There was a *flash* and a ##SNAP## sound, but no thunder to speak of.
My friends at the bar a block farther on, though... they heard an almighty boom.
Brick ol' chum? Now Zeus is after you, and he knows where the gas mains are. How did you piss off Asgard this time?
My friends at the bar a block farther on, though... they heard an almighty boom.
Brick ol' chum? Now Zeus is after you, and he knows where the gas mains are. How did you piss off Asgard this time?
Posted by: Wonderduck at Sun Apr 30 00:32:37 2017 (KNafx)
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