Lightning strike kills friends cutting tree limbs after Hurricane Isaias, NC cops say
Two friends were struck by lightning and killed while doing yard work at a North Carolina home, police say.
Ralph Thomas Wallace, 77, and his friend Saw Ni Keday Moo, 42, were cutting tree limbs Wednesday in Wallace’s yard in Wilmington when they were struck by lightning at about 11:50 a.m., according to a release from the Wilmington Police Department.
Officers were called the home and both men were pronounced dead at the scene, police say.
The neighboring house, on N. Bradley Overlook, was also damaged by the lightning strike — which caused a fire in the attic — but no one else was injured, the release says.
Police didn’t say whether the two were cleaning up following Hurricane Isaias, but Jessica Williams, a spokesperson for the police department, told McClatchy News many people in the area have been cleaning up after storm damage.
Isaias, a category 1 hurricane, made landfall in North Carolina late Monday night, bringing heavy rain and sustained winds of 85 mph that caused extensive damage to some areas along the coast.
Several tornadoes were reported in Eastern North Carolina.
At least two people died and several were injured by a tornado that tore through a mobile home park in Bertie County, The News & Observer reported.
No other details about the Wednesday deaths were released.
Editor’s note: A previous version of this story incorrectly listed the name of Saw Ni Keday Moo due to an error from the Wilmington Police Department.
This story was originally published August 5, 2020 at 5:30 PM.
