ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Four people were hospitalized after a lightning strike Thursday evening in downtown St. Petersburg.
Fire rescue crews responded around 5:45 p.m. to reports that people were struck by lightning while standing under the banyan tree on the corner of 3rd Avenue NE and Beach Drive NE.
Paramedics arrived to find two people under the tree and immediately began life-saving measures. That's when two other people approached, saying they had also been standing under the tree when the lightning struck.
Those taken to the hospital included two 16-year-old girls, a 16-year-old boy and a 17-year-old boy, St. Petersburg Fire Rescue said.
A female was in cardiac arrest, but her pulse returned as paramedics were pulling into Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital in St. Pete, according to the fire department. She was upgraded to a trauma alert upon arrival.
A minor male was also transported to Bayfront Hospital and is said to be stable.
Another minor male and female were taken to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital where they are both stable. The male reportedly suffered burns related to the lightning strike.
"The swift and expert response of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue paramedics was instrumental in saving lives during the lightning strike incident," the department wrote in a release. "Demonstrating exceptional skill and dedication, they quickly performed life-saving measures and successfully revived a young female patient, getting her heart beating again before transporting her to the hospital."
Editor's note: St. Petersburg Fire Rescue provided an update on the victims' ages Friday morning. This story has been updated.