Lightning strikes top of Chester Bowl ski hill, starts small fire

Lightning struck the top of the Chester Bowl ski hill in Duluth shortly before 1 p.m. this afternoon, starting a small fire on the roof of a small warming shack used by the lift operator in the winter.

Thom Storm, executive director of the Chester Bowl Improvement Club, said thunder shook the chalet at the bottom of the hill, and several people noticed black smoke rising from the roof of the shack.

Duluth firefighters arrived to douse the blaze, but it’s unclear what if any damage was caused to electrical equipment in the shack that runs the ski hill’s chairlift, Storm said. A city electrician was investigating the situation this afternoon, he added. No one was hurt.

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