{"id":335184,"date":"2026-07-10T01:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T01:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/335184\/"},"modified":"2026-07-10T01:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T01:46:12","slug":"victim-idd-in-deadly-lightning-strike-at-florida-beach-that-killed-1-hurt-3-others","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/335184\/","title":{"rendered":"Victim ID’d in deadly lightning strike at Florida beach that killed 1, hurt 3 others"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lightning: \"Lightning: Lightning: 7 myths debunked<\/a> <\/p>\n

There are several myths floating around that many believe to be absolutely true, but here’s what the facts say about those myths.<\/p>\n

FORT MYERS BEACH, Fla. – A 51-year-old man died last week after being struck by lightning while in the water at Fort Myers Beach, according to the Lee County Sheriff’s Office.<\/p>\n

Florida lightning strike kills 1, injuries 3 others <\/p>\n

Big picture view:<\/p>\n

Deputies responded at approximately 2:20 p.m. on July 3 to the 6500 block of Estero Boulevard following reports of a man who had been struck by lightning while in the water.<\/p>\n

Authorities said the victim, identified as Viktar Kiryk, was in the water with three family members when the incident occurred.<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Lightning strikes the ground as a violent thunder storm approaches the area August 16, 2004 in Ft. Myers, Florida. (Credit: Mark Wilson\/Getty Images) <\/p>\n

Bystanders and first responders immediately began lifesaving efforts, but Kiryk was pronounced dead at the scene.<\/p>\n

The three family members who were with Kiryk were transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Officials said they were in stable condition.<\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

In a statement, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno extended his condolences to the Kiryk family and thanked the bystanders and emergency personnel who responded to the incident.<\/p>\n

EARLIER: Lightning strike kills 1, hurts 3 in Fort Myers Beach, officials say<\/a><\/p>\n

“Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with the Kiryk family during this unimaginable time,” he said on X<\/a> on July 4. “We are also grateful to the bystanders and first responders who rushed in to help without hesitation.”<\/p>\n

He added, “This tragic incident serves as a heartbreaking reminder that Florida\u2019s summer storms can develop rapidly. If you hear thunder or see lightning, get out of the water immediately and seek safe shelter.”<\/p>\n

RELATED: Here are the new U.S. lightning capitals based on 2024 data<\/a><\/p>\n

Whether you call Southwest Florida home, are visiting, or are simply passing through, stay weather-aware, prioritize your safety, and look out for one another.<\/p>\n

The Source: The information for this story was provided by Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno’s X account. This story was reported from Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Severe Weather<\/a>U.S.<\/a>Florida<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Lightning: 7 myths debunked There are several myths floating around that many believe to be absolutely true, but…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":335185,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210,47,115,10173,628,221],"class_list":["post-335184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-fl","tag-news","tag-severe-weather","tag-us","tag-weather"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=335184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/335184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/335185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=335184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=335184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=335184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}