OT: Sheet lightening in overhead wires. What did I see?

Yesterday I was driving on a country road. Clear weather, no lightening. My wife and I saw some dust blowing across the road like from plowing. Then above that we saw. A strange blue white/flash. It lasted long enough for her to ask me what is that. I had already seen it and at first I thought it was a crop duster plane refecting sunlight. I realized it was too white and too blue to be. from sunlight. Then I told her it was a arc flash.
It was maybe 3-5 feet tall and the width of the road but up right at the height of the wires. Poles were wood with only one insulator so not real high voltage.
We continued on and saw a car that had run into a pole, no hanging wires. half a dozen trucks had already stopped so we continued on.

Only thing I can think of is two wires across the road arced and vaporized. The sheet had a definite top and bottom but the ends were tapered and waved around. It lasted several seconds. We were looking carefully for any wires on the road and saw nothing down or hanging.
Bill D

possibly the shock from the impact on the pole made two of the conductors touch together for a second, seen this happen on 32kV overheads, lots of noise and sparks, but the wires stayed on the poles!

i was watching tv one day hear loud boom outside and see arc flash behind tv and light go out
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lightning hit roof antenna and followed coax wire down to tv and then got into 120 volt electrical circuit and tripped circuit breaker. outside saw where antenna wire spliter burned in 2 like a fuse. otherwise maybe more damage inside the house
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point is puny house not going to protect you from lightening i ended up putting a grounding wire from antenna down to copper rod pounded into the ground. basically best to keep lightening outside never inside the house. ALL and every 120 volt circuit lightening want to go to as its a closer less resistance way to go to ground. also put lightning arester on antenna wire they actually hard to buy cause they not 100% foolproof and rather than get sued by lawyer cause didnt work they just dont sell anymore or are harder to get.
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and all those little digital tv antennas on sides of house well they all will attract lightning. best to make sure they got lightening surge protector on and ground rod on the system OUTSIDE the house. when lightning hit they often throw sparks, best the sparks outside the house not inside

hermetic said:

possibly the shock from the impact on the pole made two of the conductors touch together for a second, seen this happen on 32kV overheads, lots of noise and sparks, but the wires stayed on the poles!

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That is probably what happened but there were no wires left. Probbably had stubs at each end too small to notice while driving.