In the fine newsgroup "alt.home.repair", osspam
(Joe Bobst) artfully composed this message within
on 03 Jun
2004:

There were problems at my house some time ago. Power company
hooked up a recording voltmeter to the line and confirmed
voltage spikes. After a lot of activity at the local substation,
the problem was resolved, apparently a near to failure step down
transformer. In resolving your situation, be sure to consider
the possibility of inadequate grounding. If you install a surge
suppressor this will a vital part of the system

Yeesh. Sounds like a major expense from some of the other replies.
But it sure beats a fire! Thanks for the input.

--
Cheryl