Jordan Karlesson
A staggering incident occurred on Thursday night when lightning struck and severely injured four people near the White House.
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All four individuals sustained critical injuries, and authorities from the Washington, D.C., area transported them to a hospital. The lightning strike occurred at approximately 7:52 p.m. ET, according to multiple reports.
The District of Columbia Fire and EMS Department (DC Fire and EMS) initially confirmed the incident in a tweet posted around 8:30 p.m. ET.
“Apparent lightning strike Lafayette Park NW,” the tweet said. The park is situated across the street from the White House.
“#DCsBravest on scene in the process of treating and transporting 4 patients, all in critical condition,” the tweet added.
Shortly afterward, DC Fire and EMS tweeted an update that said two of the victims are female and two are male. The tweet also noted that the victims had suffered life-threatening injuries.
DC Fire and EMS said it would hold a press conference later Thursday to provide more information about the incident.
NBC’s affiliate in D.C. reported a high degree of weather activity in the evening. Thunderstorms and severe weather reportedly hit the area, where temperatures over 90 degrees are currently the norm.
In fact, the National Weather Service issued a warning about potentially severe thunderstorms earlier Thursday.
Officials including the U.S. Park Police and Secret Service agents saw the lightning strike, according to The Daily Beast.
Members of the U.S. Park Police and uniformed officers with theSecret Service witnessed the strike, according to Maggiolo, and rushed to perform life-saving measures.
Thursday’s lightning strike came about two weeks after an even more dangerous one hit the Fort Gordon military base in Augusta, Georgia. That incident claimed the life of one soldier and injured nine others.
