2 hospitalized after lightning strike near El Paso County Fairgrounds

A spokesman with El Paso County said two people were hospitalized after lightning stuck near the El Paso County Fairgrounds Tuesday night.

It happened around 6 p.m. Tuesday. A man and a woman leaving a building when lightning hit nearby, a county spokesman said. A paramedic was on the scene within minutes.

A third person had minor injuries.

People inside the building were forced to stay inside for 30 minutes because of lightning.

Rides were then shut down and the fairgrounds were evacuated. County officials say that procedure is typical for a thunderstorm in the area but Tuesday’s storm moved so fast, many participants didn’t realize there was a problem until it was too late.

“That came from nowhere. Most of the people on the fairgrounds were leaving indicated they had no idea there was lightning anywhere,” said Dave Rose with El Paso County.

The El Paso County Fair and Events Complex is located at 366 S. 10th Street in Calhan.

Calhan is located on Highway 24 about 35 miles northeast of Colorado Springs.