VIDEO: Fireball erupts after tornado makes direct hit on Nashville power substation

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Video submitted by WSMV4 viewers show a tornado ripping through the Madison, Tennessee community on Saturday, erupting into a fireball that mirrored something one would see in a Christopher Nolan film.

But this was reality, and Nashville Electric Service confirmed Monday afternoon the fireball was caused by an EF-2 tornado that made a direct hit to one of its substations near Madison. Another substation was hit near Hendersonville, NES said.

The company released a video that showed the substation being rocked in the wind with sparks flying and eventually going up in flames as the tornado made its way through the area.

The damage to NES infrastructure led to 48,000 of its customers going without power on Saturday. About 42,000 customers have been restored, with about 5,500 customers remaining without power.

NES has more than 300 crews working around the clock to restore power to the remaining customers with their lights off, said NES Vice President Brent Baker.

It’s unclear how long it will take for NES to repair both substations damaged during the severe weather. Officials have said that many customers could go without power for several days.

A total of six people, including two children, died in multiple tornadoes across Middle Tennessee on Saturday.