Sam’s Club in Lady Lake was evacuated after a thunderstorm knocked out power at the retailer and electricity in an employee break room shorted out when generators kicked in.
A powerful thunderstorm with plenty of lightning was moving through the area at about 3 p.m. Thursday when the outage occurred. Generators kicked in at the store on U.S. Hwy. 27/441 and that’s when the electricity shorted out, according to witnesses at the scene.
Customers and employees evacuated the store as heavy rain fell throughout the area. While customers retreated to their vehicles, Sam’s Club employees huddled together in a covered area outside.
Lake County Fire Rescue personnel responded to the store and inspected for any fire damage. The Villages Public Safety Department and Lady Lake police were also at the scene.
