Residents in the Dutch Hill section of Tamaqua were startled to hear a very large bang outside their neighborhood during Wednesday's storm. A lightning bolt struck two trees near the Dutch Hill basketball court, splitting one and causing severe damage to the other.

Even though the lightning strike only occurred once, it created two lightning bolts that damaged two separate trees. A thin six inch line of bare bark can be seen stretching from the base of one of the trees all the way to the top, rising about 50 feet.Rebecca Case, who lives at the intersection of East Union and Clark sts., was sitting on her front porch when she saw the lightning strike, said, "It was the brightest thing I've ever seen. I saw pieces of the trees flying everywhere."Luckily, no one was on the courts during the strike. Neighbors have taped off the area as one of the trees will have to be cut down to make it safe for kids and adults to play on the courts.