Teen injured, houses damaged in North Huntingdon after lightning strike, officials say

A 15-year-old girl was hurt and a house has a gaping hole in its roof after a lightning strike Monday night that impacted six North Huntingdon homes.

Crews responded to the strike on the 12000 block of Sedona Drive at around 8:10 p.m., according to a Facebook post from the Circleville Volunteer Fire Department.

A 15-year-old girl was struck in her Sedona Drive home, neighbors said. She was evaluated by North Huntingdon EMS and did not go to the hospital, according to a North Huntingdon 911 dispatcher. It wasn’t immediately clear how she was exposed to the lightning.

Three homes down, at the corner of Sedona Drive and Bradbury Lane, the lightning struck the roof of Lori Beckowitz’s house.

The house, which now has a hole in the roof, sustained damages to its chimney, living room and back porch. Debris is scattered throughout the yard.

Beckowitz said she and her husband had just left the living room when they saw a white light and heard a boom “like a bomb went off next to your ear.”

Had anyone been in the room, they likely would have been seriously injured, she said.

“Thank God everyone was fine,” Beckowitz said.

Next-door neighbor Bob Merda said his house has “minimal damages.” Merda said several people on the street won’t have internet or cable until Tuesday afternoon.

No houses caught on fire.

National Weather Service meteorologist Myranda Fullerton said it’s “fairly rare” for lightning to strike a home, but it can happen.

In 2021, 11 people died from lightning strikes, she said. Between 1989 and 2018, about 10% of people struck by lightning died, NWS reports.

When a thunderstorm begins, Fullerton said “no place outside is safe.”

During a storm, people should avoid being near trees. They should seek shelter indoors for at least 30 minutes until the storm passes.

While inside, avoid corded phones, computers, electrical equipment, plumbing, windows, doors and concrete, Fullerton said.

Megan Tomasic and Maddie Aiken are Tribune-Review staff writers. You can contact Megan at 724-850-1203, mtomasic@triblive.com or via Twitter @MeganTomasic and Maddie at maiken@triblive.com or via Twitter @madsaiken.