If you were superstitious, then you might be afraid to enter Saint Gerard Church, in Grand Isle, Maine which was struck by lightning last May 27, 2015 at around 6 PM. The lightning struck the steeple and brought sparks down to the lower roof. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the incident.
But this was not the first time the church was struck by lightning! According to The DailyPedia, back in August 2007, the church was struck by lightning during a thunderstorm.
It was for this reason that YouTube user Carl Bouley started randomly filming the church during the thunderstorm last week. Knowing the church had been struck by lightning some 8 years ago in similar weather conditions, he thought he might be lucky enough to capture another strike.
He certainly was quite lucky! Just before the lightning struck the church, he had been panning the camera to record the rain entering his father shop which was located across the church. It was a good thing he had gone back to filming the church because a second later, the lightning struck!
That’s what you call perfect timing! He almost missed the strike by a few seconds.
Watch the incredible footage here:
Lightning Strike
Although incredible to watch, a lightning strike is potentially deadly to people and animals as well as damaging to architectural structures.
Tall buildings, especially the ones that are the tallest in an area, are more likely to get hit by a lightning than shorter ones.
There have been plenty of reports regarding deadly or damaging lightning strikes in history. For example, Osaka Castle in Japan burned to the ground after its main tower was struck by lightning sometime in 1665.
In 1789, 3000 people were killed after lightning struck the Church of St. Nazaire in Brescia, Italy. The lightning caused a fire that soon hit the church’s vaults which held 90 tonnes of gunpowder. The resulting explosion destroyed the church and a sixth of the city.