Church Sustains Minor Damage, No Fire Following Lightning Strike

Fortunately for one church, the saying is “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” instead of lightning.

Despite being hit by lightning during Wednesday morning’s storms, the Ottawa Fire Department says St. Columba Church didn’t catch fire. The department used thermal imaging, and checked the roof lines for heat and smoke damage but didn’t find any.

The church didn’t get away unscathed, though. A large piece of concrete and several bricks and tiles were blown off the roof by the strike.

Fortunately, nobody was injured in the incident. Firefighters estimated about $12,000 worth of damage was done to the church.