Four adults were hospitalized Friday morning after a nearby lightning strike affected people at an elementary school in El Mirage, Arizona, as thunderstorms moved through the Phoenix area.
The El Mirage Police Department (EMPD) received a report of a lightning strike at 8:39 a.m. at the school bus drop-off area of El Mirage Elementary School, near Thunderbird Road and El Mirage Road. Police officers and fire crews responded and found 4 adults who had been affected by the strike.
All 4 people were conscious and transported to a local hospital for further treatment, according to EMPD. Authorities later clarified that none of them had been directly hit by lightning, but were close enough to the strike to feel its effects. The extent of their injuries was not immediately released.
El Mirage Fire Capt. Joseph Rivera said one woman was holding an umbrella when the lightning struck nearby. She reported feeling pain in both arms.
Carrie Thorpe, who works at the El Mirage Library across the street, said the thunder was so loud that it made her jump and felt as though the building had shaken. She also noticed at least a dozen car alarms going off shortly after the strike.
The incident happened as the first round of thunderstorms moved through the West Valley Friday morning, bringing heavy rain and reports of hail to parts of the Phoenix area.