Los Angeles County beaches were reopened Tuesday morning after a fall storm brought a wild night of thunder and lightning to Southern California.
Beaches from the San Pedro area to Malibu, including Avalon and Catalina Island, were closed due to dangerous lightning strikes, L.A. County lifeguards tweeted just after 4:30 p.m. Monday.
No injuries were reported but lightning strikes caused plenty of damage around the region.
Several trees in a Long Beach neighborhood went up in flames after being ignited by an apparent lightning strike.
The fire spread to a nearby boat and storage shed before the flames were finally doused.
“I’ve never heard that loud of a sound before,” resident Blue Philips said.
At least two power lines were knocked over amid the stormy weather in the West Los Angeles area.
Businesses and homes near Sepulveda and Pico boulevards were evacuated as Los Angeles Fire Department officials dealt with the situation.
“The voltage is so intense it could really take out a person’s life like this,” LAFD Capt. Cody Weireter said while snapping his fingers.
Lightning strikes even delayed the NFL game between the Los Angeles Chargers and Las Vegas Raiders at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.
Although the stadium has a roof, there are large openings along the side of the building that had officials concerned about fans’ safety.
Clear skies returned to the Southland Tuesday morning, prompting L.A. County lifeguards to announce the reopening of the beaches just before 7:30 a.m.