Five construction workers were injured, one of them seriously, when lightning struck an apartment complex that was under construction in northeast Colorado Springs.
Colorado Springs firefighters were called to the scene at 1:35 p.m. (3:35 p.m. ET) for a report that three people had possibly been hit by lightning, Colorado Springs fire Capt. Steve Oswald said.
Oswald said five construction workers, all men in their mid-30s, complained of injuries as a result of the strike. Three of them were hospitalized — one of them in what Oswald described as serious or critical condition — and the two others refused to be transported.
Oswald said firefighters have been responding to lighting strikes around the region, including hits to buildings, over the last two weeks. The strikes started several fires, he said.
According to the National Weather Service, there are about 25 million lightning strikes in the U.S. annually, killing about 49 people every year. Hundreds more people are severely injured.
On Saturday, a woman in eastern Iowa died after being struck by lightning as she moved between campsites at a recreation area, officials said.