Church Struck By Lightening Now Public Safety Hazard, City Closes Road Around It

DULUTH, Minn. — The city of Duluth closed down a part of East 5th Street indefinitely starting Monday, after a church nearby was struck by lightening.

One of Hope City Church’s steeples was struck by lightening on Saturday during a storm.

The force of it was so strong, it even hit below the concrete, causing a water main to burst into the street over the weekend.

The Duluth fire chief says that the church in the East Hillside neighborhood isn’t stable and is a public safety concern. It’s on the 400-block of North Third Avenue East.

The shutdown runs from 224 East 5th Street over to the street’s intersection with 3rd Avenue East.

Church leaders will evaluate the building on Tuesday.