Description
A lightning strike caught on video caused a fire at a business plaza on Thursday morning in Manatee County.
Nobody was hurt, according to officials.
West Manatee Fire Rescue Marshal Rodney Kwiatkowski said crews were dispatched just after 10:30 a.m. to the Holmes Beach Business Center plaza, located off of Gulf Drive in Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island.
Kwiatkowski confirmed the strike caused the fire based on witness accounts. 10 Tampa Bay then showed him security footage from across the street that captured the lightning strike. He described what he saw as "powerful, powerful video."
"You know, when you hear lightning, we want to take cover. We want to be indoors," Kwiatkowski said. "We're just thankful, again, no one was hurt and the fire is extinguished, and these people will be back in business soon."
Before first responders arrived, Ben Johnson, a witness who works across the street, described hearing a "large explosion sound" before "a bunch of our car alarms" started going off.
The security camera footage that captured the lightning strike came from his workplace. A Tesla's lights can be seen flashing moments after the strike, which is also reflected from the car's windshield.
MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/news/local/manateecounty/holmes-beach-lightning-strike-video/67-9dab3c30-8a61-48f8-8ac9-f9eda9d6398e
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