A downed wire caused a scare - but fortunately no injuries or significant damage - in downtown Manhattan Beach in the wee hours of Saturday morning outside Shellback Tavern.

The wire came down at approximately 12:43 a.m. on Saturday, as summertime crowds of revelers were gathered near Shellback and the Manhattan Beach Pier.

Video from the incident (as recorded on a car's dashboard camera and by other bystanders, and as shared on South Bay Responders) showed surprised reactions as people scrambled away from the blaze and smoke.

"There are three high tension power lines at the top of the pole. One of them shorted and fell down into the street," Shellback owner Bob Beverly told MB News. 

Calling it a "very dangerous situation," Beverly added that "we were lucky" that the wire did not fall on Shellback, and there was no damage or injuries.

The cause of the downed wire was unknown at the time of the incident and there were no reported injuries on scene, Manhattan Beach Fire Department Captain James Craig told MB News. 

Coincidentally, the downed wire occurred in the same spot where a transformer blew almost exactly a year ago (on August 17, 2023). 

In that incident, the blown transformer had set fire to the pole, resulting in Ocean Ave. being shut down at Shellback. Workers scrambled to fix the transformer as crowds were preparing to descend on downtown Manhattan Beach for the 2023 Manhattan Beach Open.

Asked whether there was a connection between the two incidents, Manhattan Beach fire officials told MB News that they were not able to comment on any potential cause, effect, or connection of Saturday's downed wire to other past incidents.