The last Monday in July brought a small storm over Luther in the late afternoon. Although it didn’t bring much in the way of moisture, the lightning was impressive.
The White family on the west edge of Luther was grateful to be home during the storm, because after the lightning, a brief power outage, and then a “burning hair” smell, they discovered a melted surge protector in an upstairs room. It was very hot, and might have started the flooring on fire had it not been quickly unplugged.
A call to their neighbor, a volunteer firefighter for the Luther Volunteer Fire Department, brought a crew out to ensure all was safe – check the attic and for any additional damage. All was well.
NOTE: update to the story, the Luther Fire Department reminds us to call 911 first in an emergency. It improves response time.
An internet search to learn about surge protectors finds that like anything, we should do our homework before buying, ensure they are powerful enough and remember to replace them over time. (And make sure you have surge protectors not just power strips to protect all of the things we plug in and charge).
This Luther family is grateful for a great response time and help from the fire volunteers, who went away with a donation to their fire fund.
We still have a 50% chance of thunderstorms Monday evening, and a 30-40% chance of rain for the rest of the week. Our gardens say PLEASE let it rain, but hold the lightning!
