FORSYTH COUNTY — The heavy thunderstorms that raked Forsyth County on Wednesday created a busy night for the Forsyth County Fire Department.

According to Fire Division Chief Jason Shivers, firefighters responded to two dozen incidents, including four structure fires and six more buildings that had been damaged by lightning. The four buildings that burned sustained “significant fire and smoke damage.” 

During the height of the storm, every fire engine in Forsyth was working an emergency.

“Cherokee and Dawson counties, along with the John’s Creek Fire Department, all sent equipment to help us out, because every piece of equipment we had was on a call,” Shivers said.

He added that some of the equipment from the neighboring areas helped at fire scenes, while other engines took up standby positions at Forsyth stations in case they were needed.

Along with the 10 lightning strike damage and fire calls, the department also worked three wrecks that involved injuries during that span.

They occurred at: Hurt Bridge Road near Aaron Sosebee; Windermere Parkway and Three Chimneys; and Old Atlanta Road at Hilltop Drive. The conditions of the injured from the crashes was not immediately available.  

Five medical emergencies, three fire alarm calls, and two reports of downed power lines rounded out the night.  

Shivers said Chris Grimes, deputy director of Forsyth’s emergency management agency, checked with the National Weather Service and learned that 250 lightning strikes hit the ground in Forsyth during the storm. Another five hundred cloud-to-cloud lightning strikes were also recorded.