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Two Firefighters Injured in Lightning Storm West of Whitefish

By Beacon Staff

Two firefighters were hospitalized after being hit by lightning while working on a prescribed burn west of Whitefish.

The firefighters — a 25-year-old woman and a 29-year-old man — are members of the Flathead National Forest Hot Shot fire crew.

Forest spokeswoman Denise Germann says lightning hit a couple of trees near where the two were working, in the Tally Lake Ranger District, at about 1 p.m. Thursday.

Germann says it’s unclear whether the firefighters were “directly” or “indirectly” struck by the lightning, but both were injured.

The woman was transported by helicopter to the Kalispell Regional Medical Center, while the man taken by ambulance to North Valley Hospital.

Both are listed in stable condition.