Several Boy Scouts Injured By Lightning Strike In New Hampshire
Around two dozen Boy Scouts were injured by a lightning strike New Hampshire on Monday night.
Belmont Fire Station Chief David Parenti said 23 boys between the ages of 12 and 16 received burns during the incident at Griswold Scout Reservation.
Parenti said the injuries the Boy Scouts received as a result of the lightning strike weren’t considered life-threatening. According to NBC News, the children were taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
“All 23 of them had burns of some sort. But even the six (burn victims), we worry about the chest, but they weren’t burned too bad, really,” the fire chief explained.
Officials believe lightning struck a lean-to the Boy Scouts were using at the Camp Bell Boy Scout Camp in Gilmanton. The Union Leader described the lean-tos as being similar in design to carports. Authorities said the lightning traveled through the structure and injured the kids.
Several of the injured Boy Scouts were soon loaded onto a bus and taken to a nearby fire station. The six who received chest injuries were taken by pick-up truck. The Lakes Region Mutual Fire Aid Association worked with area hospitals to dispatch ambulances to the scene.
Although some of the boys suffered burns on their chest, others received minors injuries to their feet and fingers. Authorities said the Scouts were doing well after receiving treatment for their wounds.
“Everyone was conscious and alert and stable,” Daniel Webster Scout Council Greg Osborne explained. He added that none of the children were directly struck by the lightning. Three troop leaders were also injured during the incident.
According to the website StruckByLightning.org, eight people have been killed by lightning-related incidents during 2013. Around 50 people have been injured as well. In 2012, 28 people were killed and 214 were injured during thunderstorms.
Fortunately for the two dozen Boy Scouts in New Hampshire, no one was seriously injured as a result of the lightning strike.
[Image via Shutterstock.com]
