Some of South Fremantle’s most popular bars and cafes have been forced to close this weekend after a rogue bolt of lightning destroyed a nearby power pole.
At around 1pm on Saturday, during another one of Perth’s latest storms, lightning struck a transmission pole in front of Running With Thieves on South Terrace.
The bolt split the high voltage pole and spread debris across the road and footpath as well as causing some lines to drop- exposing motorists and pedestrians to dangerous electrical currents.
Western Power has been working to resolve the incident since yesterday afternoon, blocking off the road to oncoming traffic, but the location of the pole has caused some issues for the electrical company.
“The pole is right near water and gas pipes so it’s important that they take care not to damage any of those pipes while fixing the pole,” a Western Power spokesperson said.
Many local cafes and bars closed once the power went out, and despite the weather bringing crowds of people out to enjoy the sunshine – they were forced to keep their doors shut.
La Cabana took to Instagram to tell their loyal customers the bad news Sunday morning.
“Unfortunately we’ve had to make the call to keep our doors closed today!” the post read.
“Yesterday a power pole a few doors down was struck by lightning and the end of South Terrace has been without power ever since!
“A freak incident and one that’s been totally out of our hands. We appreciate your understanding and apologies to everyone that planned to come down last night or today!”
Madalena’s Bar also made a similar post on Instagram.
“Closed today, no power in South Fremantle. See you next week!”
But despite the lightning strike happening directly outside of their venue, Running With Thieves remained open, so those craving an alcoholic beverage at the southern end of South Fremantle were still able to quench their thirst.
Western Power was unable to give an estimated restoration time for when the power will be turned back on, but have said their customer service team will keep the 290 affected customers up to date throughout the process.
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