2 Hunters and Their Dogs Die After Possible Lightning Strike: Police

Two men and their hunting dogs are dead, and Florida authorities believe lightning strikes could be the cause. 

On Thursday, Sept. 25, the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said deputies were called after the men, whose names have not been publicly released, did not return from hunting. Before the deputies arrived at the scene on Wednesday, Sept. 24, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers had already been searching the area and found their vehicle parked nearby.

Authorities said their bodies were found on the levee near a canal. 

Though the names of the deceased had not been publicly shared, the HCSO said the men were 38 and 31 years old and were from the Miami area.

“Our area gets more lightning than just about anywhere else in the country, especially in the summer. If you can hear thunder, that means lightning is close enough to strike, even if the sky doesn’t look too bad yet,” Sheriff Paul Blackman said. 

“It is essential to pay attention and plan ahead when storms approach,” he added. 

According to the HCSO, the best place to be during a storm is indoors. However, if that is not an option, the sheriff’s office suggests immediately getting inside a vehicle or a solid building with a roof once thunder is present.

Under no circumstances should you retreat under a tree or be near a body of water, authorities said, also warning that open fields “are lightning magnets.”

If you are able to be inside of a building, take caution to not go close to windows, corded electronic devices or running showers or baths until the storm has passed. “These small steps can go a long way in keeping you safe,” the Highlands County Sheriff’s Office said. 

The death of the two hunters and their dogs comes roughly one week after two 25-year-old hunters were found dead in southern Colorado on Sept. 18 after a nearly weeklong “massive” search were killed by a lightning strike.

The victims were identified as Andrew Porter and Ian Stasko.

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In a statement to PEOPLE on Monday, Sept. 22, Conejos County Coroner Richard Martin said their injuries were consistent with “a pretty intense electrical jolt.”

“They had a little bit of burnt marks like if you would take a match and strike it and then wait ’til it’s about out and then touch it to your arm, there was just a couple of little marks like that,” Martin said, adding he also noticed “a little bit of singed hair, but not very much.”

Autopsy results for the victims in Colorado will be released in about eight weeks, Martin said.