FORT SMITH (KFSM) – A Fort Smith intersection is back open Tuesday morning (Oct. 28), after being closed for a few hours due to a downed power line.
Officers with Fort Smith Police said the power line went down at the intersection of 53rd and Kelly just after 4:30 a.m.
People who live in that area told authorities it was struck twice by lightning and then fell to the ground as storms moved through the area.
“I started hearing some lightning and then all of the sudden it hit about four poles down,” said eyewitness Justin Seefried. “It hit the top of the power lines and then there was a big explosion a couple of seconds after that. It came down again and then the transformer blew and the cable came down on the house over there. You would’ve thought a bomb went off over there with it being so loud and so bright.”
Fort Smith Police and crews with the power company were on scene for more than two hours working to get the power line off the street. Officers also directed traffic around them during that time.
Several homes did lose power temporarily after the line went down; however, all power is now back on.
