Video: Lightning Ignites Pole, Turns It Into Fireball In Wild Dashcam Clip

A video showcasing the fury of nature has gone viral on social media platforms. Captured from the dashcam of a police car in the US state of South Carolina on Monday (Aug 11), the footage shows a bolt of lightning torching an electric pole while the transformer nearby explodes, leading to a fireball in the sky.

The now-viral clip shows an officer with the Mount Pleasant Police Department moving slowly through the traffic on Highway 17 when the lightning strikes. The surge of electricity was so strong that it shorted out the streetlight off to the right side of the road.

"A bit too much excitement for a Monday! The lightning strike caused our power outages and traffic delays. Fortunately, no one was injured, and @DominionEnergy responded quickly, restoring power and removing the downed wires," the police department wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The incident occurred around 11 am local time, resulting in widespread power outages in the area and causing traffic delays. There were no reports of injuries.

"This was caught on an officer's dash cam around 11 a.m. at the intersection of Hwy 17 & Shelmore Blvd, bringing down wires across the roadway and causing widespread power outages. More than a dozen Officers and CSOs managed traffic at seven intersections for roughly three hours."

See the viral post here:

A bit too much excitement for a Monday! The lightning strike caused our power outages and traffic delays. Fortunately, no one was injured, and @DominionEnergy responded quickly, restoring power and removing the downed wires. pic.twitter.com/PyieuiTG1K

— Mount Pleasant PD (@MountPleasantPD) August 11, 2025

Also Read | Chinese Man Loses Rs 1.06 Crore To Gym's 300-Year Membership Scam

'Looks like a war movie'

As the video went viral, social media users were shocked by the intensity of the lightning but expressed relief that no one was injured in the incident.

"Good Lord! Looks like a war movie!" said one user while another added: "Oh my gosh, that is absolutely insane! Hope everyone is safe."

A third commented: "Thank you for making us aware just how dangerous this storm was. Stay safe out there."

A fourth said: "That's me driving right in front of the police vehicle! My windshield was smashed and some scratches from the downed wires. Thankfully I wasn't hurt, and it doesn't look like anyone else was either."