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Georgia sheriff warns about dangers of lighting

By FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team
Published  June 20, 2023 3:48pm EDT
Georgia
FOX 5 Atlanta
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Crisp County Sheriff Billy Hancock posted this photo of a barn fire sparked by lightning on June 19, 2023.

CRISP COUNTY, Ga. - Photos released by the Crisp County sheriff are a cautionary tale this week of the dangers of lightning.

Sheriff Billy Hancock posted photos to his Facebook page of a barn fire sparked by a lightning strike.

It happened around 10:20 a.m. Monday just south of Cordele along U.S. 41.

The sheriff wrote in the post about how a passerby saw the fire and call 911.

Firefighters arrived quickly to put out the blaze.

"Great work by CCFR for containing it to the barn and its contents," Sheriff Hancock wrote. "Just a reminder of how dangerous lightning can be."

FEMA reports about 17,400 fires are attributed to lighting each year resulting in about $138 million in property damage. It also kills about 10 people and injuries about 75 each year.