FORT MYERS, Fla — Just before 8:00 Saturday night, residents along First Street saw a bright flash and heard an explosion, shortly after it began rain in downtown Fort Myers.
Click below to see what the dangerous situation was like:
Because FOX 4's journalists live in the same areas they cover day in and day out, FOX 4 had the only crew on the scene to see periodic bursts of flames and showers of sparks, as the surrounding lighting, from street lights to lights inside homes, would flash on and off.
Fort Myers Police are in the area of West First and McGregor for an electrical fire due to transformer failures. There may be power outages in the area due to this. FPL is en route to repair.
— Fort Myers Police (@fortmyerspolice) September 22, 2024
The fire was burning in a lot behind a church, next to the Pinchers and along the fence with the Edison Estates. Multiple first responders were on scene, and it appeared firefighters eventually found the power supply to the fire and cut it off, to stop the sparks. As of Saturday night, there was no word on what caused the malfunction, and no word of any injuries.
At one point, Florida Power and Light reported 2,209 customers were without power due to the fire. Power for majority of customers was restored by the promised time of 9:30pm.
