A teenager was killed and four other people were injured when they were struck by lightning while hiking on Mount Blue Sky Sunday afternoon.
It happened around 1:20 p.m. at the summit of the mountain, according to Jenny Fulton with the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office. Someone in the area called first responders after seeing a lightning strike and hearing calls for help, Fulton said.
A group of five people, including the teen who died, had driven to Summit Lake and then hiked from there to the summit of the mountain, Fulton said. Another boy in the group was seriously injured and airlifted to a Denver hospital. Two adults in the group, and one other adult who was not part of their hiking group, also sustained minor injuries from the strike, Fulton said.
No other details were available about the condition of the boy who was seriously injured.
This was the first lightning strike death in Colorado since September 2025, when two 25-year-old men were struck and killed while hunting in the national forest in Conejos County. Those were the only lightning fatalities in Colorado last year.
There have been four other lightning strike fatalities in the United States this year, according to the National Weather Service:
- On April 15, a 41-year-old man was struck and killed while walking to his vehicle in a Pewaukee, Wisconsin gas station parking lot.
- On May 31, an 18-year-old man was killed while kayaking in a river in Santa Rosa County, Florida.
- On July 3, a 51-year-old man was struck while in the water at a Fort Meyers, Florida beach.
- Also on July 3, a 7-year-old girl was struck and killed while in a backyard in Serena, Illinois.
On average, the National Weather Service says lightning causes 2 deaths and 12 injuries in Colorado each year. From 2006 to 2024, Colorado ranked third in the national for the number of lightning fatalities, after Texas and Florida.
There is no place outside that is safe from lightning, according to the National Weather Service. If you hear thunder, you are likely within the range to be struck and the safest thing to do is to get inside a building or vehicle as quickly as possible.
If you are stuck outside in a storm, the National Weather Service offers these safety tips:
- Avoid open fields, the top of a hill or a ridge top.
- Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees.
- If you are in a group, spread out to avoid the current traveling between group members.
- If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine or other low area. Remember, a tent offers NO protection from lighting.
- Stay away from water, wet items, such as ropes, and metal objects, such as fences and poles. Water and metal do not attract lightning but they are excellent conductors of electricity. The current from a lightning flash will easily travel for long distances.
The National Weather Service also suggests researching the weather patterns of the area where you are going to decrease the chances of getting caught in a storm. In Colorado, especially in the mountains, thunderstorms typically develop in the early afternoon, so the National Weather Service recommends hiking early and planning to be down the mountain by noon.
