Two members of the National Guard were hospitalized early Friday after lightning struck near the White House where the military has been deployed in response to recent unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd.
The U.S. National Guard said both members were in close proximity of a lightning strike while on duty in Washington, D.C., and that they were subsequently transported to a hospital and in stable condition as of Friday morning.
Both of the military personnel are members of the South Carolina National Guard, said U.S. Army Captain Jessica Donnelly, director of public affairs for the South Carolina National Guard. They will remain hospitalized for 24 hours for observation, she told The Washington Times.
The D.C. Fire and EMS Department said it received a call shortly after midnight regarding two military personnel suffering the effects of a nearby lighting strike within the perimeter of Lafayette Square Park and that they were transported from the scene with non-life threatening injuries.
Located directly north of the White House, Lafayette Square Park and nearby streets in downtown D.C. have played host to protests held over the killing May 25 of Floyd in police custody. Acts of arson and looting erupted amid that unrest over the weekend, resulting in the deployment of military personnel to the region on Monday.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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