Lightning Strike May Have Sparked Indiana Church Fire

A Monday-morning fire that destroyed a church in rural Clinton County despite the best efforts of firefighters may have been sparked by lightning, officials said.

The blaze started at Christ Covenant Church, off State Road 38, about two miles east of Kirklin, as a thunderstorm raged overhead.

The church was quickly engulfed in flames, according to Indiana State Police.

Firefighters from as many as five neighboring departments were called in to help fight the blaze.

Some parishioners of the small church with about 50 members looked on with horror as the fire raged. The church was built in the early 1900s.