6 Feel Effects From Lightning Strikes At Fort Meade

FORT GEORGE G. MEADE – One person was hospitalized and five others were checked by medical personnel after lightning strikes at Fort Meade Tuesday. The six people affected by the strikes were outdoors setting up for National Night Out on McGlachlin Parade Field as thunderstorms moved in, officials said.

There were a number of lightning strikes in the vicinity of the event site, and six crew members "experienced residual effects such as tingling and mild headaches," Fort Meade officials said in a news release. Emergency Management Services, who were already on-site as part of the event, evaluated each person as a precaution.

Five people were released at the time, while one man was taken by Fort Meade ambulance to Baltimore Washington Medical Center. There is no word on his condition.

Officials first delayed National Night Out for 30 minutes in hopes the weather would clear; the community event promotes and heightens crime, anti-terrorism, and drug prevention awareness. This was the second year in a row that bad weather forced organizers to cancel the event.

PHOTO: A barbed wire fence stands along the main gate at Fort Meade on February 14, 2018 in Fort Meade, Maryland. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)