Man killed after lightning strike sends tree crashing into apartment

“The first thing I said was, ‘Oh god,’” a neighbor said. “I know apartments the way they’re designed. I knew that was the bedroom."

A man was killed after a tree collapsed on a Charlotte apartment early Monday morning, according to the Charlotte fire department.

In a news release, the fire department said they received a call at 1:52 a.m. ET that a tree had fallen on a three-story apartment building and people were trapped.

“Sounded like metal on metal the way it came down. I just assumed that it was it was a car accident,” a neighbor told local news affiliate WBTV. “The first thing I said was, ‘Oh god,’” the neighbor continued. “I know apartments the way they’re designed. I knew that was the bedroom."

The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said the tree was struck by lightning and fell onto the side of the apartment building.

Crews arrived on the scene within minutes and evacuated the building. Because it was unstable, they had to shore it up so it wouldn't collapse as they attempted to get inside.

Firefighters rescued one person from a third-floor apartment. The medical team treated the person on scene and then transported them to a hospital. In the same apartment, firefighters found a second victim who died as a result of the incident.