Four Arizona Firefighters Struck by Lightning to Be Released From Hospital

June 26, 2004
Four firefighters injured by lightning on Mount Graham may be released from a hospital this weekend.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) -- Four firefighters injured by lightning on Mount Graham may be released from a hospital this weekend.

The two most seriously hurt - Scott Gorman and Jeff Every _ were evacuated off the mountain Thursday night after lightning struck the rocky slope they were working on.

Two other firefighters from the same crew - Travis Anway and Brandon Burrill - were brought to a Tucson hospital later in the day.

All are members of the Dalton Interagency Hotshot Crew, based on the Angeles National Forest in Southern California.

The lighting bolt that hurt the firefighters was one of the first strikes from a fast-approaching thunderstorm, and those injured ``were likely victims of the electrical current traveling underground rather than a direct hit,'' officials with the U.S. Forest Service said.

The most serious of the injuries appears to be first-degree burns and numbness in the lower extremities, authorities said.

Information from: Arizona Daily Star

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