During a fierce electrical storm yesterday, lightning struck on and near Polish Hill multiple times. It hit in the backyard of a house on Paulowna Street, then a few second later hit the very top of the main dome of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church.
Some time later, people noticed smoke coming from the dome. Fire trucks from different stations around the area quickly responded. Residents lined the street, watching anxiously.
Firemen climbed up into the structure on top of the dome to fight the fire.
Here’s what it looked like from further away. (Photo by Carlea Cannon)
Slightly earlier, lightning also struck near the Iron city Brewery, knocking out a transformer by the Quick Stop on Liberty Avenue. A photographer in the Steel Tower happened to get a picture of this strike (below). The church dome is off to the right — click on the image to see it larger.
(Photo by Tim Betler, from Pittsburgh Magazine)
Read the Post-Gazette article about the lightning strike, or a Tribune-Review article that mentions the church, along with other storm damage around the area.
Great story!!! Has anybody noticed that the lightning strike is several blocks away from our beloved church in this impressive photo.
Thanks for the great story though… still a cool shot!
We know, and the blog post does state that the photo shows a lightning strike which hit near the Iron City Brewery, before the church dome was hit. It’s also noted that the church dome is visible in the photo, off to the right.