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Grid infrastructureUnited StatesEIR-0457

Lightning strike triggers transformer explosion in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina

Aug 2025Published 7 Sept 2026Responsible editor: Chief Editor

MinorElectricalProvisional
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Where
Highway 17 and Shelmore Boulevard, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina
Operator
Dominion Energy
What
Transformer exploded after lightning strike on power line
Injuries
None reported
Cause
Direct lightning strike during thunderstorm

Companies named in the reporting of this entry (being named is not a finding of fault): Dominion Energy

What happened

On 11 August 2025, a lightning strike during a thunderstorm hit a power line at the intersection of Highway 17 and Shelmore Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and a nearby transformer exploded shortly afterwards. Police video showed flames at the point of the lightning strike followed by sparks and flames from the transformer on the opposite side of the road. The event brought down power lines across the roadway and caused power outages in the area.

First responders managed traffic at seven intersections for about three hours while utility crews carried out repairs. No injuries were reported, and Dominion Energy restored power and removed the downed wires. This account is based on a single news report; further details on the transformer's protection equipment and full outage scope have not yet been reported.

Contributing factors

A direct lightning strike during a thunderstorm struck a power line and is reported to have caused the transformer to explode. No independent engineering investigation has been reported.

Lessons learned

  1. Overhead distribution transformers can explode after a direct lightning strike on a nearby line, so operators should verify surge protection settings on pole-mounted units.
  2. Downed lines after a transformer failure require traffic management at multiple junctions, so utilities should pre-plan joint response with police.

More lessons on weather and external hazards, from every incident on the register.

Not yet known

  • Transformer's protection equipment details
  • Full outage scope and duration
  • Independent engineering investigation findings

This entry is updated when these are reported. Get an alert for the next one like it.

Source

fox5dc.com

Published 2026-09-07. Written from public reporting. Descriptive, not investigative. See the data accuracy disclaimer.

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Substation and transformer fires: the counts, the latest entries and a free alert for the next one. Also: transformer explosions and power line and cable failures.

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