According to Koogan, the city had previously noticed that the mural was bowing in the middle and that the collapse was likely the result of natural deterioration.Ĭity building inspector Hugh Koogan said it appeared to be a result of natural deterioration. While lightning may have struck near the building, inspector Hugh Koogan said he found no evidence that this strike actually hit the building. While it is certainly plausible that a lightning strike caused this mural to collapse, a city building inspector disputed this account. In addition to witnesses saying that they saw a lightning bolt hit the building, WTOL 11 First Alert Doppler radar also recording a lighting strike on the same block as the mural and at the same time of the collapse: A spokesperson for the city said building officials have determined that an emergency demolition of the building is not necessary at this time. One of the things the city is looking at is whether this building needs to be demolished entirely following the lightning strike. No cleanup effort was under way yet on Wednesday. The department later confirmed the strike to be the cause of the collapse. The CBS affiliate in Toledo, WTOL11 reported:Ī north Toledo mural has been reduced to rubble after it was reportedly struck by lightning Tuesday and painted bricks still littered the area late Wednesday afternoon Ī witness who saw the wall fall told TFRD they had seen a lightning bolt strike the building. Witnesses told police and fire departments that they saw a bolt of lightning strike the building shortly before the mural collapsed. The first is that this mural was struck by lightning. The exact cause of the collapse, however, has not been officially determined.Īs of this writing, there appear to be two plausible possibilities. These are genuine images of a Floyd mural, created by artist David Ross, that collapsed in Toledo in July 2021.

Cartoon lighting blot