Overview

• A Mount Pleasant Police officer’s dashcam recorded at around 11 a.m. on Aug. 11 as lightning struck a transformer at Highway 17 and Shelmore Boulevard, triggering a fireball and downing power lines.
• Dominion Energy crews removed fallen wires and restored electricity to hundreds of customers by Tuesday evening.
• More than a dozen officers and community service officers managed traffic at seven intersections for roughly three hours until the roadway reopened between Shelmore and Anna Knapp boulevards.
• Authorities confirmed no injuries, and police have verified the video’s authenticity amid online speculation that it was artificially generated.
• The incident occurred during a period of severe thunderstorms and flash-flood watches that brought up to two inches of rainfall to the Charleston area.