Lightning — Pinellas, Florida

1998-06-23 · near St Petersburg, Pinellas, Florida

Event narrative

Six firefighters, loading equipment after extinguishing a fire, were injured by the sideflash of a lightning bolt that struck a nearby palm tree and concrete sidewalk during a dissipating thunderstorm on the 800 block of 17th Avenue South in St Petersburg. One of the firefighters received second degree burns on his arms and toes from the lightning strike. The lightning bolt left a hole the size of a football in the concrete sidewalk it struck.

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 5658703. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.