Lightning strike sets Orthodox church dome ablaze in Finland

Lightning struck the dome of an Orthodox church in Finland. Photo: Yle Arenan

A lightning strike set fire to the dome of the Orthodox Church of St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Nicholas in Tampere. The fire broke out in the historic church’s tallest tower on the afternoon of July 18, while wedding and baptism services were underway, Yle Arenan reports.

The strike caused the wooden structures supporting the dome, located at a height of about 17 meters, to begin smoldering. Church caretaker Mika Kangasaho said there was a deafening crash when the lightning struck, and the lights inside the building began to flicker.

Despite damage to the alarm system, the clergy completed the services. Passersby noticed smoke rising above the building only after the parishioners had left the church.

Emergency services deployed 20 crews and a high-reach crane to extinguish the fire. Firefighters had to remove the cross from the dome, dismantle part of the roof, and gain access to the seat of the blaze.

By Sunday morning, emergency crews had fully extinguished the fire and prevented the damaged structures from collapsing onto the church’s brick building.

As the UOJ reported earlier, lightning struck a UOC church in Ukraine’s Odesa region for the second time in one week.

Read also