ST. MARTIN, Miss.-Many people were forced to evacuate their St. Martin homes Monday after lightning struck a gas main line.
Jackson County Emergency Management Director Earl Etheridge told WLOX TV the lightning struck an electrical transformer near Malory Drive and Cambridge Boulevard. That strike followed the lines, blew a hole into the gas main and set it on fire.
Homes were evacuated within an 800 foot radius of the fire. Etheridge says the lines had to be isolated and fixed before residents could go back in their homes.
County fire crews and CenterPoint Energy worked for several hours to make the repairs.
