ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A lightning strike hit the gymnasium at St. Petersburg Catholic High School, sending smoke pouring from the building's roof.
St. Petersburg school lightning strike
What we know:
The Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg reported emergency crews are on scene at St. Petersburg Catholic High School after a lightning strike hit the gym roof.
No injuries were reported, and all students and faculty inside the building are safe.
Allison Munden, the director of communications with the Diocese of St. Petersburg, explained that the damage is likely contained to the roof of the building.
Active fire department response
Dig deeper:
The communications director also mentioned while this did happen after school hours, there were a lot of students still on campus due to the heavy rain in the area.
She explained that there's obviously smoke and water damage, and they are assessing the situation when it comes to future practices and games.
Diocese response
What they're saying:
"Lightning, you never think it could happen to you, or never struck your building," Munden explained. "You have to take things seriously, remain sheltered and covered, and following city protocol is very important."
The Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg asked the community to support those responding to the emergency.
"Please pray for our firefighters, first responders and the entire school community," the diocese shared in a public statement.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from the Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg, which provided updates via a social media statement.