3 children, 1 adult injured by lightning strike in downtown St. Petersburg

Four people were injured — three of them children — by a lightning strike in downtown St. Petersburg on Thursday evening.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue said they were called to Beach Drive and Third Avenue at about 5:45 p.m. to reports that people standing under a Banyan tree had been struck by lightning.

Fire Rescue crews found two people under the tree and “immediately began life-saving measures,” according to a news release from the agency.

Two others approached rescuers and said they also had been under the tree when lightning struck, the release states.

A woman in her 20s and a boy were taken to Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital.

“Paramedics were able to get a pulse on the female, who was in cardiac arrest, as they pulled into the hospital,” the news release states. “She was upgraded to a trauma alert upon arrival.”

The boy is in stable condition, fire rescue officials said.

The two other children hurt — a boy and a girl — were taken to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Both were in stable condition, according to fire rescue.

“The swift and expert response of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue paramedics was instrumental in saving lives during the lightning strike incident,” the news release states. “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. Their quick action and professionalism were crucial in stabilizing her condition and ensuring she received the necessary advanced care.”

No other details were immediately available.

The strike came amid afternoon and evening thunderstorms that are typical for the Tampa Bay area this time of year. The previous evening, lightning had struck the Residences at 400 Central just a few blocks away from the strike on Thursday.