Startling footage shared by CBS Austin shows a wind turbine in Crowell, Texas catching fire after being struck by lightning late last month.

People who have concerns about the safety of wind turbines have another reason to be skeptical. Personally, I think wind turbines offer much promise when it comes to alternative energy, even though we're definitely NOT at a place to fully rely on them yet.

It seems with every form of energy-generating technology, there are some risks involved. Oil spills lead to a tragic loss of sea wildlife and pollution of our waters. Coal obviously has many risks to workers. Nuclear energy definitely has risks that are potentially some of the scariest of all. We could go on, of course.

Wind turbines have concerned some due to the danger they can pose to birds. They also offer some risks of leakage on our land, are considered eye sores, and in some cases, have been known to catch fire.

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And that's exactly what happened in Crowell, Texas recently. Thankfully, no one was harmed. Well, except for the wind turbine, of course.

People commenting on mother nature's dramatic episode chimed in with chuckle-worthy and/or mocking comments such as "Bernie's Twirlie Bird," etc. One man wanted to congratulate the lightning for so perfectly "hitting a moving target, creating art and electricity at the same time."

Others were sincerely thankful it didn't lead to any wildfires. Obviously, we've been seeing quite a few fires break out here in East Texas, so the danger is real.

If you'd like to see the full one-minute video shared by CBS Austin, we've got it for you here:

Are you a fan of wind turbines as a means of generating energy? Why or why not? We'd love to hear from you at tara.holley@townsquaremedia.com.

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