By Andy Greder
The St. Paul Pioneer Press
MINNEAPOLIS — Severe thunderstorms swept through the Twin Cities on Sunday night, May 27, triggering flash flood warnings, downing power lines and sparking a South Minneapolis church fire that destroyed the building and injured several firefighters.
According to broadcast news reports, four — and possibly five — firefighters were injured battling the blaze at Walker Community United Methodist Church in the Powderhorn Park neighborhood.
One of the firefighters was reported to have been critically injured. All the firefighters were taken to Hennepin County Medical Center reportedly suffering from burn-related injuries. The fire at 3104 16th Ave. S. was sparked by a lightning strike, according to the church’s pastor, the Rev. Walter Lockhart.
However, there was no official determination of the fire’s cause or update on the condition of the firefighters late Sunday.
Lockhart arrived from St. Paul soon after the fire started around 8:30 p.m. in the 1910 brick church.
He said the 150-member church will still hold a Memorial Day cookout, but will need a new location.
“I’m not going to let a building burning stop me from cooking burgers,” he said.
During the thunderstorms, Ramsey, Anoka and Washington counties each reported downed trees and power lines, according to watch commanders and dispatchers. No injuries were reported in the three counties.
The storms produced reports of dime- and quarter-sized hail and winds of up to 50 mph, according to scanner reports and statements from the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.
The weather service issued a severe thunderstorm and flash flood watches and warnings for most of the Twin Cities metro area, central Minnesota and western Wisconsin.
The thunderstorm watch was in effect until 1 a.m. Monday; the flash flood watch was in effect until 7 a.m.; the flash flood warning was in effect until 3:30 a.m.
Rainfall of 1 to 4 inches of rain was expected, the weather service said.
Sunday’s storm followed a similar storm last week that dumped up to 5 inches of rain in some areas of central Minnesota.
With rivers and streams swollen, the National Weather Service said, heavy rain could run off quickly and cause flooding, especially in flood-prone areas.
In Shakopee on Sunday, the Soundset hip-hop concert at Canterbury Park ended before Minnesota group Atmosphere was to perform, according to Twitter reports. Concertgoers were told to evacuate as severe weather sirens blared, the reports said.
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