FULTON, NY - Smoke and flames were still visible inside a tree branch hours after it came crashing down onto power lines outside a Fulton County home on county road 107 Thursday.
"It's electricity, it's touching the ground, so it's sending electricity right through the tree limbs," said Kevin Moshier, of Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
The tree was struck by lightning around 4 p.m., causing 78 customers to lose electricity.
Moshier wasn't worried about power, his priority was safety.
"These wires are coded but sometimes the coding wears off them, in this case why it's smoking like that and still burning," said Moshier.
"You got to stay away from the tree, stay away from the wires; you got to use insulated tools."
The tree experts say it's important to work fast when you have branches this thick lying across wires this sensitive.
"It's hard to tell but there is a lot of pressure on those wires right now an awful lot of pressure."
The family of the home was also eager to help out and clean up the mess Mother Nature left in their front yard.
The tree experts say, with more storms in the forecast, this may be the first of many fallen branches they encounter this week.
"Yea it's a pretty tough job I guess," said Moshier.
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