A woman in Detroit, Michigan, was inside a coffeehouse, perhaps sipping a cup of joe, when lightning struck the power lines outside the cafe. The initial blast was overwhelming, but the fire and subsequent bursts of energy left her trembling with fear.
Cami Rose, the woman in question, shared the moment on TikTok. She often shared lifestyle content online, mainly featuring her dogs. The clip attached above became her biggest one ever, garnering 2.4 million views, 304,800 likes, and more than 4,200 comments.
The Michigan woman, who only wanted a coffee and a brunch wrap, was inside Plymouth Roast in Plymouth. According to Cami, right before she began recording, lightning struck the power lines just outside the coffeehouse during a storm.
“Never saw lightning hit so close to me,” she wrote in the clip’s description.
The lightning-damaged power lines caught fire. People could see and hear sudden bursts of energy from inside the cafe. Cami captured each blast as cars drove past the power lines. She captioned the clip, “Probably one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen.”
Pandemonium
In a follow-up clip, Cami explained that it was “pandemonium” inside the coffeehouse right after the lightning struck the power lines. People got away from the windows and sought shelter inside the establishment. Cami called 911, and first responders arrived about 10 minutes later. She remained inside the cafe, which is arguably the best thing she could’ve done, contrary to what some commenters suggested.
Cami witnessed an arc fault and the subsequent arc flashes. An arc flash is an electrical explosion caused by short circuits. These arc flashes can reach temperatures exceeding 35,000 °F. In contrast, the surface of the sun is around 10,000 °F.
It is safe to say that Cami and the other customers in the coffeehouse would have suffered a very quick death should they have come into contact with the damaged power lines or been in their vicinity during the arc flashes.
Reactions
The Michigan woman’s clip sparked multiple responses, mostly from viewers who believed Cami and the others inside the cafe reacted nonchalantly to an arguably scary incident. One said, “Absolutely no sense of urgency.” Another one commented, “New Yorkers in Marvel movies.” Some viewers responded, explaining that the arc flashes warranted a stay-put response.
Other users kept making fun of the situation, which apparently didn’t cause any injuries. One wrote, “I thought Kane was making his entrance.” Another one asked, “Who ordered the zapaccino?” A third one added, “Is this a Lexapro ad?“
Cami insisted in her follow-up that she witnessed “the craziest thing” she had ever seen in her lifetime. Thankfully, she got to record such a dangerous event and live to tell the tale.
