Video
Storm Ciara: Tree triggers explosion as it falls on substation
An explosion at a substation in Thetford was captured on video. Picture: Submitted - Credit: Archant
This is the moment a substation exploded after a tree fell onto it during Storm Ciara.
Trees have been blocking roads across the county. Picture: Jade Norcutt - Credit: Archant
The footage was captured on a woman's CCTV camera in Thetford after she heard a loud bang at about 11.15am on Sunday, February 9.
Fire crews from Thetford and Attleborough were called to Priory Park in the town to help with fallen power cables.
The video shows a branch being blown off a nearby tree and landing on the substation, causing a bright explosion.
READ MORE: Storm Ciara: Couple spend four hours zigzagging across region in train chaosThe witness, who asked not to be named, said: "I heard two massive bangs go off and the fire engines arrived and the police went to the scene. I had a little look and went to speak to them. They said that a tree had fallen on the substation and an explosion had happened.
"I knew it was electrical as the lights went out but we didn't know where it was coming from. It was so close that I thought something had hit my car. I ran outside and didn't see anything, then the emergency services arrived."
READ MORE: Fallen trees, power cuts and cancelled trains - how Storm Ciara is battering Norfolk
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It came as thousands of homes across the region experience power cuts.
UK Power Networks said it had been monitoring the weather very closely and had "robust plans in place to respond to Storm Ciara, including extra engineers, contractors and call takers on duty".
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A spokesperson for UK Power Networks said: "We're sorry for any disruption this may have caused. We didn't know in advance there would be a power cut, but now that we know, our teams will do everything they can to get power back quickly.
"During a storm, fallen trees and broken branches can damage overhead power lines. If you see damaged overhead lines or equipment stay well away, call 105 and 999, keep others away."
