Lightning Hits Christ Church Steeple; One Injured

A Cobble Hill church steeple was struck by lightning just after 8 p.m. Thursday evening, causing scaffolding to fall and injure a man, reports said.

While early responders could not confirm that the cause was lightning, New York Fire Department officials later told Carroll Gardens Patch that units were called to , located at 326 Clinton Street, at approximately 8:17 p.m. during a thunderstorm, after scaffolding surrounding the 117-foot tower fell to the street and struck someone.

The man was rushed to  suffering from respiratory arrest, said an FDNY spokesperson.

"I saw a ton of cops and firemen, and they roped off half of Kane and Clinton," said one neighbor, who also noted rubble on the street. 

The steeple is 171 years old and has been shrouded in construction supports since the end of June to allow work on stones and mortar that were loosened from previous lightning bolts as well as the August 2011 earthquake.

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