Two people injured by lightning strike on Arizona's tallest mountain
Two men reported being struck by lightning near Humphrey's Peak, the highest point in Arizona.
Showers and lightning filled the sky in central Arizona on Oct. 22.
Two men were struck by lightning on Thursday near Humphrey's Peak, Arizona's highest mountain, according to the Flagstaff-based news station ABC15. The mountain is 10 miles north of Flagstaff.
The men, one local and one from Canada, called rescuers, saying they were struck by lightning around 11 a.m., local time. Crews were dispatched on foot because the stormy weather didn't allow for rescue aircraft to operate. The rescuers met the men coming down the mountain around 2:45 p.m., putting one man on a gurney to carry down the mountain to safety.
Arizona, Humphreys Peak, Evergreen Forest In Foreground. (Photo by Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
There are no trees around the summit of Humphrey's Peak, meaning anyone who is near the peak is exposed to the elements.
Lightning is not unusual in Arizona during the fall season. The AccuWeather Lightning Network confirmed a strike about 1.5 miles to the southeast of the peak at 10:36 a.m., as a thunderstorm moved through the area.
Twenty people have been killed by lightning in the United States this year, including a 17-year-old boy who was hunting in Louisiana last Saturday.
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