Lightning Sparks Fires On Jersey City Street
JERSEY CITY, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Lightning struck some power lines in Jersey City early Monday morning, sparking fires and closing a roadway.
Work crews told CBS2's Valerie Castro electrical wires above the street fell to the ground after being hit by a bolt of lightning and then melted the asphalt.
Crews had reopened John F. Kennedy Boulevard late Monday afternoon after spending all day replacing the asphalt and repairing the wires.
A jackhammer and heavy machinery were hauled in to scrape away the charred asphalt at Kennedy Boulevard and Linden Avenue.
The live wires caught fire and the sparks eventually spread to two cars, including a Mercedes SUV that became fully engulfed. The inside of the car was left charred and destroyed.
The car's owner, Damien Sparks, said he watched as the wires got closer and closer to his car.
"I'm like, 'Nah, it's not on fire,'" he said. "Two minutes later, it's on fire.
"You see the sparks, so when I looked out the window, the power cord from up there was on the ground sparking -- big sparks."
The SUV owner said his car is fully insured.
PSE&G says more than 3,000 customers were without power for about two hours in the morning, but service was completely restored by 6:45 a.m.
There were no reported injuries from the fires.
