Four people were seriously injured after lightning struck Thursday evening in Lafayette Square, north of the White House, officials said.
The four patients, two men and two women, were taken to area hospitals in critical condition with life-threatening injuries, said Vito Maggiolo, a spokesman for the District of Columbia Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, in a press conference Thursday evening.
Lightning was reported at 6:52 p.m. The victims were near a statue of Andrew Jackson, Maggiolo said, adding that “it appeared they were in the vicinity of a tree.”
Uniformed Secret Service agents and U.S. Park Police officers who were in the area and witnessed the strike administered first aid to the victims, Maggiolo said.
“His agents, his officers, witnessed this lightning strike and immediately began rendering aid,” Maggiolo said.
It is unclear what the victims were doing at the time.
“All we know for sure is that there was a lightning strike in their vicinity and all four were injured,” he said.
A CBS News camera that was filming on the North Lawn of the White House at the time of the lightning strike captured the powerful rumble of thunder.
“The thunder was so loud, @gabrielle_ake and I jumped in fear,” CBS News White House correspondent Nancy Cordes tweeted. “‘This is too close, we’re closing,’ advised photographer Ron Windham.”
Our camera was rolling on the North Lawn of the White House tonight when lightning struck near Lafayette Park, injuring four people. The thunder was so loud, @gabrielle_ake and I stood up in fear. “This is too close, we’re closing,” advised photographer Ron Windham. pic.twitter.com/oTtU9VeQBw
— Nancy Cordes (@nancycordes) August 5, 2022
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