LOS ANGELES — Eight people have been struck by lightning on Los Angeles’ popular Venice Beach boardwalk and a ninth person was hit on Catalina Island as rare summer thunderstorms rolled across Southern California, authorities said.
The eight were hit shortly before 2:20 p.m. on the boardwalk, Los Angeles Fire Department spokeswoman Katherine Main said. She could not confirm early reports that one man received CPR from a lifeguard, and there was no immediate word on their conditions.
On Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, off the coast, a 57-year-old man was struck by lightning on a golf course and was hospitalized in stable condition, said Steve Denning, a law enforcement technician with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. He did not have other details.
The lightning strikes occurred as a thunderstorm hit the island, causing minor flooding and setting two small fires in the brushy backcountry that were quickly doused, Denning said.
The unusual weather came from monsoon moisture that brought a line of brief but fierce afternoon thunderstorms to the region.
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