Lightning strike hospitalizes woman

Tuesday, July 14, 2009
© Copyright 2013 Gwinnett Daily Post

LOGANVILLE - A blast of lightning in a Loganville backyard hospitalized a woman Sunday evening, an official said.

The unidentified woman was not directly struck, but had just stepped off her back porch when lightning hit nearby in the 4000 block of Beaverton Circle. Paramedics transported her for evaluation at an area hospital, authorities said.

The woman was conscious, alert and breathing regularly when emergency responders arrived, Fire Department spokesman Capt. Thomas Rutledge said.

Reports of several damaging lightning strikes kept firefighters occupied in all corners of Gwinnett on Sunday evening. No major damages or injuries were reported in the wave of storms that swept the county.

Here's a synopsis:

· A lightning strike reportedly caused a house fire in the 4200 block of Gunnin Road in Norcross. Crews found a small fire in an HVAC unit that caused minor damage in the home's attic, Rutledge said.

· House fires from an apparent lightning strike were reported at two houses in the 90 and 100 block of Hebron Church Road in Dacula. Firefighters found no active fire upon arrival.

· A house fire from an apparent lightning strike was reported in the 1900 block of Kelvin Drive in Lawrenceville. Rutledge said no fire was found.

Gwinnett Daily Post