Lightning — Marathon, Wisconsin

2008-08-23 · near Schofield, Marathon, Wisconsin

$8.0M

Property damage

Event narrative

A lightning strike at 2:29 am CDT on August 23 generated a fire at the Gordon Aluminum Industries in Schofield. The fire destroyed a row of offices and generated enough heat to incapacitate nearby machinery. In addition to the fire damage at the plant, $300 million worth of unfinished aluminum had varying degrees of corrosion as a result of the smoke, ash, and water used to douse the flames.

The lightning strike rattled residences in the area. A blown gas main valve near the apparent source of the fire served to fuel the blaze.

Wider weather episode

A lightning strike at the Gordon Aluminum Industries did considerable damage to the plant.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (44.9000, -89.6000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 127891. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.