Lightning Strike Causes Massive Fire At Apartment Complex In Susquehanna Twp. (PHOTOS)

As a thunderstorm blew through Central Pennsylvania, a fire blew through part of a 3-story apartment complex that was still under construction, fire officials announced on Wednesday.

The call to the blaze at the construction site on Russel Drive in Susquehanna Township came in at 5:25 a.m. on May 8, according to the Dauphin County Deparment of Emergency Management.

A "special weather statement" had been issued in Harrisburg for hail and high winds around the time the structure is believed to have been struck by lightning, according to the National Weather Service.

The first arriving crews found the fire was located on the 3rd floor of the structure in a 200 by 75-foot apartment building, according to a release by the Susquehanna Township police.

"Initial fire units were on the scene within 6 minutes from the time of dispatch. The fire was brought under control in 50 minutes.," the police stated in a release, adding that "Approximately 50 firefighters operated on the scene from Susquehanna Twp, Lower Paxton Twp, Swatara Twp, Penbrook, Northeast Fire and Rescue (Enola), Harrisburg City, West Shore Bureau of Fire (Lemoyne) and Susquehanna Township EMS."

The first alarm fire required three aerial master streams to knock out the blaze, officials with Progress Fire explained.

The official cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Photographer, Dustin Weese also captured the blaze on video, which you can watch in the player below.

A few teaser videos of the Russel Drive, Susquehanna Township, Dauphin County fire. More to follow when I get home from work.

Posted by Dustin Weese on Wednesday, May 8, 2024