Lightning in D.C. area struck Washington Monument, injured National Guardsmen in Lafayette Square

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Lightning strikes multiple locations in the District, including the Washington monument, as photographed from Arlington, Va. at 8:32 p.m. Thursday. Scene exposed for 30 seconds. (Anupam Anand)

 

Several rounds of intense thunderstorms charged through the D.C. area Thursday night into early Friday, unleashing frequent lightning that injured two National Guardsmen and struck the Washington Monument.

 

The guardsmen were struck just after midnight within the Lafayette Square perimeter near the intersection of 17th Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. They were taken to a hospital with injuries that were not believed to be life-threatening.

 

“Both were conscious and alert with no visible signs of burns,” said Doug Buchanan, chief communications officer for the D.C. fire department. “It was clearly an indirect strike, presumably to a tree that was nearby.”

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us friends keep your heads down and stay safe ....

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 Nice...

 

Something about this picture is striking  !