VIDEO: Lineman rescued from bucket truck after transformer explodes near Logan substation

LOGAN — A Logan City Light and Power lineman was injured after the transformer he was working on caught fire, Wednesday afternoon near 100 W. Center St.

Logan City Police Capt. Tyson Budge said the employee was up inside a bucket truck, when the newly replaced transformer exploded, sending oil down onto the truck.

“When that oil came out of that transformer, it ran into the truck itself and fully engulfed the truck,” said Budge. “He was in a cherry-picker, in the bucket, over live power lines.”

The lineman had oil thrown onto him and sustained burns to his neck and head. A second bucket truck was able to move close enough to rescue the man.

Video recorded by Elise Egbert and shared with KVNU, showed the lineman jumping into the bucket of the nearby truck while flames and smoke came from the truck below.

The lineman was taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries. Budge said, he is fortunate to be alive.

“It’s just incredible. That truck was fully engulfed and the damage was pretty extensive.”

Power was knocked out to neighboring customers for a short time.

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