Lightning Strike Kills San Bernardino County Woman

A woman was killed by lightning in San Bernardino County, hours after another person in the county was crushed by a wind-fallen tree during heavy thunderstorms.

Fontana police Sgt. Jeff Decker said a 35-year-old woman was struck and killed by lightning Wednesday afternoon while standing near a tree in front of a home. Decker told the San Bernardino Sun that the victim's name has not been released.

Earlier, a woman died when a tree crushed her vehicle as she drove in the San Bernardino Mountains during a thunderstorm. Big Bear Lake fire officials said the large pine tree, rooted near the roadside, snapped about halfway up its trunk during strong winds.

Another woman was injured when lightning struck as she was walking in the parking lot of the Cabazon Outlets, a Cal Fire spokeswoman said. Firefighters and paramedics were called to the outlet mall, which is just off Interstate 10 on Seminole Drive, just after the noon hour, said Cal Fire's Jody Hagemann.

The woman, whose name was withheld, was taken to a hospital for treatment of "moderate" injuries, according to Hagemann.

"She was in close proximity to where lightning struck," the Cal Fire spokeswoman said. "According to the firefighters, there were no entrance or exit wounds or burn marks."

Reports from the scene indicated the patient may have had an irregular heartbeat as a result of the strike.

Kathy Fredriksen, manager of the outlets, said she and her staff "didn't know anything about it until one of our tenants called."

"By the time our security officer went down there, she appeared to be fine and they took her off in an ambulance," Fredriksen said, but added the woman did seem "a little disoriented."

"There was a storm going on overhead and there was a lot of lightning activity," she said.

Near Oakland, the pilot of Southwest Airlines Flight 2197 with 53 passengers on its way to Burbank reported the plane being struck by lightning. The pilot returned to Oakland and made a uneventful landing. It was inspected for damage and returned to service.

A brush fire that may have been the result of lightning broke out late Wednesday afternoon above the San Dimas Canyon Golf Course, according to the county fire department.

County Fire Inspector Steve Zermeno said the fire was reported at 4:26 p.m. in the 2100 block of Terrebonne Avenue, between Whitebluff Drive and Lassen Court, and had blackened about 35 acres by 5:45 p.m.

He said a witness called to say that a hillside was on fire, beyond the golf course.

100 firefighters were at the scene in addition to air support. It did not appear to be threatening structures as of early this evening.

In Orange County, thunderstorms were reported across a wide area around 1:30 p.m., including the Santa Ana Mountains and the canyons east of Irvine.

Newport Beach residents were marveling over waking to a lightning storm unlike anything some said they have ever seen in the area.

The unstable weather was caused by a low-pressure system west of Point Conception. A National Weather Service spokesman said it will move ashore over the next few days, and thunderstorms could occur through Friday or Saturday.