Four Injured in D.C. Area Storms; Thousands Lose Power

Thunderstorms crossed the region yesterday, knocking out power to thousands, tearing down trees and injuring at least four people, including three who were under a tent that collapsed during a festival at a Fairfax County park.

A woman in Silver Spring was apparently struck by lightning, and lightning ignited a fire at a house in upper Montgomery County and damaged a building in the District.

The storm brought brief, heavy downpours as well as hailstones the size of nickels and powerful wind gusts. Gusts as strong as 58 mph were reported, according to National Weather Service forecaster Jared Klein. Almost an inch of rain fell in spots.

At the Fairfax festival in Bull Run Regional Park, two adults and a 10-year-old child were injured when a large tent, where people sought refuge from the storm, collapsed, police said. The child and one adult were taken to hospitals. Injuries were not life-threatening, officials said.

A 41-year-old woman who had been watching a soccer game in Silver Spring was apparently struck by lightning, which hit a tree where she was taking shelter, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery fire department. He said she was taken to a hospital and was expected to survive.

Lightning also sparked fires. One caused about $100,000 in damage to a house in the Clarksburg area of Montgomery, Piringer said.

In the District, insulation in the walls of an Amtrak repair shop smoldered after lightning hit the one-story brick building at 900 T St. NE about 2:40 p.m. The fire was extinguished within minutes, said Sgt. Phillip Proctor of the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. No one was injured, he said.

Two lightning strikes also were reported in Fairfax, including one that caused a house chimney to fall and hit a gas meter, causing a leak, police said. No injuries were reported.

At a festival at Fairview Beach on the Potomac River, officials said boats were hit by four-foot waves. Crews from the Coast Guard, Charles County and Prince George's County rescued several people from the water.

Authorities also reported fallen trees in parts of Fairfax, Fauquier, Howard and Charles counties.

Dominion Power reported 7,000 customers without electricity at one point yesterday afternoon. About 6,600 Pepco customers lost power for a time -- about 1,400 in the District and 5,180 in Prince George's, according to Pepco's Web site. By early evening, Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative was reporting 1,705 customers without power, most in Charles. At 8 p.m., about 2,500 customers of Delmarva Power were reported without electricity in Queen Anne's County, at the eastern end of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

Staff writers Ann E. Marimow and Martin Weil contributed to this report.