Buck wrote:
Actually, it wasn't lightning around at that time. the sparks were
static burst or something generated from lightning afar off. I was
concerned about the possibility of fire when I threw the connector
into the jar.

That certainly could have been charged particle static
buildup. I experienced a similar thing in the Arizona
desert when the wind was blowing under clear sky, low
humidity conditions.
--
73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp