Four people injured after apparent lightning strike near White House

Four people were in critical condition on Thursday after an apparent lightning strike at Washington's Lafayette Square adjacent to the White House grounds, fire officials said. The injured - two adult males and two adult females - were transported to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries, D.C. Fire and EMS, the agency that handles fire and other emergencies in the U.S. capital, said in a Twitter message.

Four people were in critical condition on Thursday after an apparent lightning strike at Washington's Lafayette Square adjacent to the White House grounds, fire officials said.

The injured - two adult males and two adult females - were transported to area hospitals with life-threatening injuries, D.C. Fire and EMS, the agency that handles fire and other emergencies in the U.S. capital, said in a Twitter message. Lafayette Square, a seven-acre public park that lies directly north of the White House, is often crowded with visitors, especially in the summer months.

Temperatures in Washington exceeded 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius) on Thursday, although, with the high humidity, the heat felt like more than 100F, forecasters said. A violent thunderstorm swept through the capital late in the day. (Reporting By Mary Milliken and Frank McGurty; Editing by Christian Schmollinger)