ROGERS — Two men were injured by a lightning strike Thursday at a car dealership at 401 W. Hudson Road in Rogers.
“They didn’t take a direct hit,” said Tom Jenkins, fire chief. “It struck very nearby.”
The forecast by the National Weather Service showed both Benton and Washington counties were rated at a significant lightning risk with a 60 to 90 percent chance of thunderstorms Thursday.
A tornado watch that included Benton and Washington counties was issued at 2:53 p.m. by the National Weather Service in Norman, Okla. A tornado watch indicates the possibility of large hail, damaging wind and multiple tornadoes.
Fire records show the emergency call came in at 2:57 p.m.
One man was unconscious and one was incoherent when firefighters arrived, Jenkins said. Both were taken to local hospitals. Jenkins said he didn't believe the men were burned, but may have internal injuries that couldn't be assessed in the field.
Nine of 10 people struck by lightning will survive, according to the National Lightning Safety Institute.
There have been five lightning fatalities in 2013 in the United States, four of them this month and one in April, according to the National Weather Service.
Arkansas has 627,880 cloud-to-ground lightning flashes in 2012, according to a fact sheet provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration based on National Lightning Detection Network data. The state’s yearly average in cloud to ground strikes is 799,034.
Lightning can strike up to 10 miles away from rain during a thunderstorm, according to the National Weather Service.
Safety precautions include moving away from high ground, objects that conduct electricity, bodies of water or isolated trees.