Photo credit: Mike Carroll (Instagram: @jerseyportraits)
NEW YORK - The strong storms that hit the city Wednesday night left a trail of damage in their wake and is being blamed for leaving two people in critical condition.
The storms brought frequent, intense lightning and heavy rain.
A spokesperson for Jamaica Hospital Medical Center says the hospital was treating two people who were struck by lightning Wednesday evening.
The patients were believed to have been in the area of 115th Avenue and 140th Street in South Jamaica when they were injured.
City firefighters confirmed Thursday it was a lightning strike that caused a fire in Queens, damaging a church.
The FDNY says the call came in around 7:35 p.m. at the Spirit Truth Christian Church on Sutter Avenue in South Ozone Park, which is around 70 years old.
Fire officials say there were no injuries.
The evening storms followed a fifth straight day where temperatures topped 90 degrees, continuing the city's first heat wave of the year.
More heat, humidity and storms are expected Thursday. A heat advisory has been issued for noon to 8 p.m. on Thursday. Feels-like readings will be in the mid-90s.