The Auburn Fire Department responded to a fire at the Thompson Memorial AME Zion Church on Parker Street in Auburn on Sunday afternoon that was caused by a lightning strike.
The fire was confined to the front steeple of the historic church, which is part of the Harriet Tubman National Park and held Tubman's funeral in 1913. Neighbors of the church reported hearing loud "booms" and seeing thick smoke coming from the structure in the midst of a thunderstorm that hit the area around 2:30 p.m. on Sunday.
Fred Ferris Sr., who lives down the street, said he called 911 at about 3 p.m. after seeing smoke continuing to billow from the church. Pauline Copes Johnson, Tubman's great-great-grandniece, was with her daughters in her house next to the church when she said she heard two loud booms. Her daughter Ursula Woods-Johnson said she also heard booms, but didn't realize the church was smoking until AFD arrived.