Lightning Strike Causes Massive Fire At Apartment Complex In Central PA (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 scene of the fire at the 3-story apartment complex that was under construction in Susquehanna Township.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of Dustin Weese*

First responders on the scene of the fire at the construction site in Susquehanna Township.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of Dustin Weese*

The construction site fire in Susquehanna Township.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of Dustin Weese*

The third floor of the apartment complex on fire at the construction site in Susquehanna Township.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of Dustin Weese*

Crews battling the blaze.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of Dustin Weese*

The complex after the blaze was knocked down.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of Dustin Weese*

The aftermath of the fire.
Photo Credit: *Courtesy of Dustin Weese*

Jillian Pikora

05/08/2024 2:26 p.m.

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.

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