Severe Storms Whip Across Florida; Lightning Injures Firefighters, Damages Homes

Sean Breslin and Andrew MacFarlane
Published: March 30,2016

Severe weather rocked the Sunshine State with a massive thunderstorm complex Tuesday afternoon, kicking off several days of severe weather expected across the South. Though quick to travel from the state's Gulf Coast to the Atlantic Coast, the storm system left its mark, leaving three Boca Raton firefighters injured after they were hit by lightning while cleaning up a lightning-ignited fire, according to CBS 12.
Boca Fire Rescue Spokesman Mike Lasalle said lightning struck near the trio as they were dousing a fire in Strathmore, a central Boca Raton community.
"They were bending over to bring the water hose from the back of the house to the truck and that's all they remember," LaSalle told the Sun Sentinel. "We're not sure if it hit them or the ground first, but in my opinion it must have hit near them. Direct hits usually end badly."
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Two of the injuries were minor and those two firefighters were released Tuesday evening, the Sun Sentinel also said, but the third was treated for more serious injuries at Delray Beach Medical Center.
Several other homes in South Florida have reported damage from lightning strikes, including one Davie home that suffered a strike to the chimney. Davie Fire Rescue responded to the call, but no significant fire or structural damage was seen, according to WSVN.com.
In Homestead, a young woman and her niece and nephew were shaken up after a large tree fell onto their vehicle while turning out of Laura C. Saunders Elementary School Tuesday afternoon, the report added. Nobody was injured in the accident.
"It was 'Boom!' That's all you heard," the woman in the car told WSVN.com. “I was so scared. Soon as I pulled to go around the curve, the whole tree just fell, and I felt the car just shook. It threw me forward and back.”

Three people were rescued in the Everglades after their airboat was hit by lightning, according to a separate Sun Sentinel report. Two airboats were in the water, one of which was taking on water when Broward Sheriff Fire Rescue arrived, said spokesman Mike Jachles. None of the occupants were injured by the strike.
On the Gulf Coast side of the state, a Lee County business on the 13000 block of Vector Avenue was hit by a lightning strike, leaving some noticeable roof damage, according to the South Trail Fire Department. No injuries were reported as a result.
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