KENNER, La. (WGNO) — An ominous scene that looked like something right out of a sci-fi film unfolded outside New Orleans Monday.
Video shows a power surge working its way back and forth along electrical lines. Nexstar’s WGNO reports a transformer went down, creating this incredible sight.
Chris Fitzmorris, owner of Fitz’s Plumbing and Repair Services, shot this video outside of his business on Monday morning.
Crews were quickly on site trying to restore power to thousands of residents in the City of Kenner, just west of New Orleans.
A similar-looking fireball caught on camera in 2013 in Quebec was likely an “electrical arcing fault” that resulted from some damage to the wiring combined with safety switch failures, Gizmodo reported.
The winter storm moving through the area is the same as the one knocking out power to cities in Texas and dropping snow from the Gulf of Mexico to the Ohio River Valley. The Associated Press reported that, as of Monday afternoon, at least two million people had already lost power.
WGNO reports that additional outages are possible overnight and into Tuesday.