Lightning Strikes San Angelo Hotel

 

SAN ANGELO, TX — Lightning struck a San Angelo hotel early Sunday morning. A line of thunderstorms spanning from Midland to Denton pushed through from the north early Sunday morning bringing with it fierce thunderstorms.

As rain was pounding the streets of San Angelo, several loud cracks of thunder were heard. On one of those booms, lightning struck the tallest structure on San Angelo’s hotel row, the Courtyard by Marriott, a four story hotel at 2572 Southwest Blvd.

The strike happened at around 8 a.m. Hotel guests were allowed back onto the hotel just before 9.

Lightning struck a San Angelo hotel early Sunday morning, August 15, 2021.

Lightning struck a San Angelo hotel early Sunday morning, August 15, 2021.

The bolt of lightning created two large holes in the side of the structure near the roof. San Angelo firefighters rushed Ladder 1 to the four-story building and could be seen dousing the holes with water by the time we arrived. Hotel guests were evacuated in the immediate aftermath.

Lightning struck a San Angelo hotel early Sunday morning, August 15, 2021.

Lightning struck a San Angelo hotel early Sunday morning, August 15, 2021.

Lightning usually strikes the tallest structure in an area and metal gutters where the holes were seen are often the conduit for the electricity to find its ground, as lightning takes the path of least resistance, according to the NOAA. Temperatures from a lightning strike exceed 50,000 degrees F — five times hotter than the surface of the sun.

Lightning struck a San Angelo hotel early Sunday morning, August 15, 2021.

Lightning struck a San Angelo hotel early Sunday morning, August 15, 2021.

Accordingly, firefighters spend a great deal of time dousing the area of the lightning strike with water to cool the surfaces down. The strike happened at around 8 a.m. Hotel guests were allowed back onto the hotel just before 9. No injuries were observed.

Subscribe to the LIVE! Daily

The LIVE! Daily is the "newspaper to your email" for San Angelo. Each content-packed edition has weather, the popular Top of the Email opinion and rumor mill column, news around the state of Texas, news around west Texas, the latest news stories from San Angelo LIVE!, events, and the most recent obituaries. The bottom of the email contains the most recent rants and comments. The LIVE! daily is emailed 5 days per week. On Sundays, subscribers receive the West Texas Real Estate LIVE! email.

Required

Most Recent Videos

Comments

"San Angelo firefighters rushed Ladder 1 to the four-story building and could be seen dousing the holes with water by the time we arrived." Are you sure that wasn't Ladder 7?

Lightening caused $5000 worth of siding damage..... San Angelo Fire Department caused $500,000 dollars damage to 4 floors from thousands of gallons of water..........

Post a comment to this article here:

X Close