Excitement on Linden Avenue - streets blocked!!

When I got home, with $100 worth of groceries for this week's baking plus stuff for soap room and for a few good suppers, I couldn't get to Linden. All of the turns off Lincoln Way were blocked. I had to overshoot by about four blocks to be able to get down to Linden. There were guys at the blockades on Linden, not allowing me to turn east onto my street to get to my house.

There was a lightning strike that struck a gas line. Fire! It was a mess. I parked as close to my house as they would let me and headed to the house with the bag of cream, butter and frozen shrimp.

I stopped to take some pictures. It's pretty impressive. The guy who moved the baracade for me told me that the lightning struck the ground and went right through the plastic pipe that carries the gas thoughout this neighborhood. They were in the process of shutting down the gas lines so that no gas was fed to the spot where the fire was burning. The fire trucks were very close to my drive and water hoses were in the street there. I couldn't get home.

I snapped a few pictures, got my perishables into the fridge and freezer and headed back to my car. One of the workers told me that they would be moving the hoses out of the way shortly. The fire was contained and all gas lines were shut off. I made it home about ten minutes later.

This all happened almost directly across the street from me. Phew! Glad it wasn't me. My neighbor has a mess - a tree that will be hard put to survive, and grass that is no more.

Nature's power is a marvelous thing.

Fire on north side of street - gas lines not completely shut down yet.

Mishawaka fire department on the job

Dousing the fire - again!

Still going!