The Alma tornado warning siren appears to have taken a direct hit by lightning during the severe thunderstorm activity Saturday night setting off a natural gas line break and explosion.
Kinmundy-Alma Fire Chief Kevin Day says the lightning strike resulted in one hole near the pole holding the siren behind the village hall and another that broke a natural gas line about 20 feet away. He reports when the line broke, there was an apparent explosion, and a fire started that was fueled by natural gas.
Day says the fire was confined to the area of the line break. They cooled the Alma Village Hall building which was only about five feet away until Liberty Gas company crews could arrive to make repairs.
Day reports the explosion was severe enough to blow off some of the soffit below the roof line on the village hall building. He says one of the electrical boxes on the side of the siren was destroyed by the strike and some of the wires at the base of the tower were blown out.
Alma Mayor Russell Swift says they will have the siren repaired. He is still assessing damage inside the village hall from the electrical surge. Swift says he already knows there are some major electrical issues.
The area where a gas line broke and caught fire beside Alma Village Hall after the village’s tornado warning siren was hit by lightning.
