2 cars catch fire after 18-wheeler strikes powerlines in Pompano Beach

No injuries reported

POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – An 18-wheeler struck low-hanging powerlines Monday afternoon in Pompano Beach, authorities confirmed.

The incident occurred shortly after 1 p.m. in the 1900 block of Northwest 32nd Street.

Pompano Beach Fire Rescue spokeswoman Sandra King said the 18-wheeler dragged the powerlines down, causing two vehicles that were parked in the nearby grass to catch fire.

A worker in the area told Local 10 News reporter Sanela Sabovic that the explosion was so loud he thought a bomb went off. 

"We heard the first explosion, ran outside, and then, what we saw was the truck coming out and he was dragging all the electrical wires out and he kept going," the man said. "Then what happened (was) the first transformer pole went down, exploded, and after that, everything else caught on fire." 

Both vehicles were unoccupied at the time, but they were both destroyed in the fire, King said.

She said personnel from Florida Power & Light were called to the scene to turn off the power before firefighters could extinguish the flames.

According to King, the powerlines were also hanging on top of a pickup truck, but it did not sustain any damage.

She said officials were working to find the owner of the truck to notify him or her about the incident.

No injuries were reported. 
 


About the Authors:

Sanela Sabovic joined Local 10 News in September 2012 as an assignment editor and associate producer. In August 2015, she became a full-time reporter and fill-in traffic reporter. Sanela holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a concentration in radio, television and film from DePaul University.

Amanda Batchelor is the Digital Executive Producer for Local10.com.