In Finland, a lightning strike set fire to the dome of an Orthodox church
Firefighters had to remove the cross from the dome to extinguish the fire.
In Tampere, a lightning strike ignited the dome of the Orthodox church of Alexander Nevsky and Saint Nicholas. The fire in the tallest tower of the historic church broke out on July 18 in the afternoon during the celebration of the sacraments of marriage and baptism. This was reported by Yle Arenan.
The lightning strike caused smoldering of the wooden structures supporting the dome at a height of approximately 17 meters. Church warden Mika Kangasaho said that at the moment of the strike there was a deafening crash and the lights inside began to flicker.
Despite damage to the alarm system, the clergy completed the service. Smoke above the building was noticed by passersby only after the parishioners had left the church.
To extinguish the fire, rescuers deployed 20 units and a tall crane. Firefighters had to remove the cross from the dome in order to dismantle the roof and gain access to the source of the fire. By Sunday morning, the rescue service had fully extinguished the fire, preventing the collapse of the structures onto the brick building.
As the SPJ reported, in the Odessa region, lightning struck a UOC church for the second time in a week.
