A lightning strike March 5 on the grounds of Winnfield Senior High School caused the blowout of a 12-inch city water main and resulted in the shutoff of water for all north of Tractor Supply for some seven hours while repairs were made.

“Lightning struck a pine tree on the edge of the high school grounds across Hwy 167 from Misty Lane,” said Eddie Johnson, city water department supervisor. “The lightning traveled into the ground at the base and blew out the main. Water was coming out fast. Fortunately, there is a shutoff valve at Tractor Supply. When I closed that off, there was no water supply to the north but the rest of the town was not interrupted. We were able to minimize the impact.”

He commented that the break was not due to an old line giving out but was a true “Act of God.” He added he regrets the inconvenience to the affected users during the repair period (plus the boil advisory following), it would have been the whole city and not just 500 who would have been affected.

Perhaps lightning does strike twice in the same place, Johnson mused. It appears that the scarred pine that is still standing was hit previously, as there is a second, old lightning scar on it as well. Another adjacent tree, probably a black gum, had to be removed to allow for the repair work.

The city crew worked on the water main replacement from 9 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. and the repair was 51 feet in length. A boil advisory for those north of Tractor Supply then went into effect. As workers with their vehicles made those repairs, units from City Police and the City Fire Department were on hand with lights flashing to caution southbound drivers.