The Olympia Fire Department responded Monday to reports that a tree caught fire after falling into powerlines at Morse-Merryman and Wiggins roads, ultimately causing a small explosion of a power transformer that was captured on video.
The explosion occurred about 10:30 a.m. Monday in southeast Olympia. No one was injured, and the fire was extinguished once crews from Puget Sound Energy cut power to the lines, said Assistant Chief Mike Buchanan.
A water leak from a damaged fire hydrant is believed to have eroded the ground beneath the tree, causing the tree to fall, Buchanan said.
Staff from the city’s public works department are repairing the water leak. The Olympian has left a message with Puget Sound Energy to find out whether any customers lost power because of the incident.