‘Dangerous work of art’ discovered by Illinois firefighters in woods. What is it?

An Illinois firefighter returned to the scene of an emergency and discovered a “dangerous work of art,” officials say.

The Fairview-Caseyville Township Fire Protection District firefighters found downed power lines in a wooded area early Thursday morning. They noticed arcing — when an electrical current jumps gaps between conductors — and alerted Ameren Illinois, officials say.

When the power company determined the area was safe, the firefighters left the scene. A deputy chief in training went back during daylight to assess the damage, officials say.

He discovered a “solid mass of glass.”

“This piece of jagged glass should be proof enough why you should always avoid downed power lines,” Fairview-Caseyville Township Fire Protection District posted on Facebook. “The amount of energy (heat) exerted from the high voltage line melted the sand in the soil to create this dangerous work of art.”

The fire protection district warned residents to avoid power lines — even if they believe them to be dead.

“It turned sand into glass!” officials said “Imagine what it could do to you!”