Prominent Accidents Involving Lightning

Lightning is awe-inspiring, but it can also be very dangerous. Here we describe some of the most devastating accidents caused by lightning.

Brescia, ItalyBack in the year 1769, the town of Brescia in Italy suffered from a terrible accident caused by lightning. In the vaults of the Church of the Nazaire in the town, nearly 94 tons of gunpowder was being stored when lightning struck. Travelling through the building to the vault, the ensuing explosion killed 3,000 people and destroyed around a sixth of the city. The destruction of the accident meant that much more effort was made to ensure gunpowder was stored safely and securely in the future.

Pan American Flight To PhiladelphiaOne of the world’s worst lightning-related death-toll happened in 1963 when a Boeing 707 was struck by lightning as it travelled from Puerto Rico to Philadelphia. Tragically killing all 81 people on board, the aeroplane exploded in mid-air during the flight as the lightning hit a reserve fuel tank. The intense heat melted the rivets in the structure and fused materials together. This tragedy created a need for all airliners to be fitted with lightning discharge wicks.

Yellowstone FiresIn 1988, one of the very largest fires in the history of Yellowstone spread across the park and affected more than a third of it. This caused mass-evacuations and - to this day - hikers are still advised to watch out for the potential of falling trees which were damaged in the fire. The fire was started via a mixture of very dry weather, high winds and a number of lightning strikes.

Rodells Ltd: A Century of ExperienceIf you require scaffolding services or lightning protection services across England, look no further than Rodells. We’re experts in the industry and provide excellent services to a wide range of clients. We’ve been serving our customers for over one hundred years and look forward to continuing our work for another century.
 
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