Homes and businesses in Bembridge have been evacuated as a result of an electricity pole exploding outside the village butchers.
A section of Bembridge High Street has been closed this morning (Tuesday) due to the dramatic incident, which unfolded at around 09:30.
Locals have described seeing sparks flying and smoke billowing from the electrical components attached to the pole.
2 fire appliances from Ryde and Shanklin are on scene and have cordoned off the area surrounding the burnt-out pole.
A power line has also come down across the carriageway, posing a risk.
Nearby properties have been evacuated as a precautionary measure whilst the fire service await the arrival of Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks to isolate the power.
It is unknown how long the electricity supply will be switched off in the area.
UPDATE @ 10:52 – Engineers from SSEN are now on scene and are working to isolate the power.
A generator has also been brought to the scene to assist in getting homes and businesses back onto mains power.
The area remains cordoned off and fire crews are still on scene.
VIDEO: Watch as the electricity pole catches fire, sparks and arcs which resulted in loud bangs heard across the village of Bembridge.
The power cable narrowly missed a vehicle driving past at the time of the incident.
Thanks to Matt Morris, Joe Hunt & Olivia Pike for the video clips
We can now go over to our expert on electricity Az-zahra Aziz
Haha class!
I’d rather we didn’t, Bob!
Bob, yes, this will likely be due to loose connections, as they arc, and heat up, causing insulation to melt and burn. Once one cable melts, it falls across the other two phases creating over four hundred volts to short circuit. The main fuse should have blown in the substation.
Likely check those empty sheds for growing gear, overloading the system.
Hardly likely to be just the butcher warming his sausage rolls is it.
We will never get the official truth, as someone has clearly messed up here, by not tightening connections and the fuse must be too high a rating.
Watch them blame the cold weather.
Thank you Google
Haha that made me and the missus crease up .classic .
Aziz will find single mothers are to blame for this
And job seekers/people with addictions/bad drivers/people with differing political views. The list goes on…we should all aspire to be like him or her….or not!
Shocking…
Shocking, it could have been, if that live cable had come down on the metal building of the butchers, the whole building would become ‘live’ as it is impossible to earth every individual rusty sheet of iron to earth the current. This would mean anyone touching the building would have received an electric shock.
This needs investigation as to why the fuse never blew at the sub station.
Yet I expect a cover up.
I take it bob what you are saying is he normally talks sh t ha
Surely the fuse should have blown in the substation. Likely another overload by those ‘growing’ in sheds on the Embankment. Seems common place now on Wight. Ideal place to grow in Bembridge and then get boats to take it out of the harbour. No small wonder so many ‘retire’ early in the village.
Me and Bert just watch this on the news with Fred Dinage. That young lad Joe who filmed it was very brave, and people say the young are no good. He deserves a reward for risking his safety to help others after that cable fell off. Good looking fellow too. Well done Joe.
Concerned that Bembridge Fire Station and Sandown Fire Station were not called to this incident , maybe no crew available ?