Lightning killed one hiker and injured four others on Mount Blue Sky on Sunday afternoon, according to the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.

Per spokesperson Jenny Fulton, a report came in about the situation at about 1:20 p.m. on Sunday after a person in the area saw a lightning strike and started hearing calls for help.

Multiple agencies responded amid moderate rainfall, soon determining that a male minor had been killed by a lightning strike. The deceased minor was hiking with a group of five with another male minor in this group sustaining serious injuries that required helicopter transportation from the scene to a Denver area hospital. Two adults in this group also sustained minor injuries and were checked out by emergency response teams, ultimately not requiring transport.

Another person who was not with the hiking group of five sustained minor injuries and was not transported from the scene.

Per a report from 9News, the lightning strike and subsequent injuries occurred in the area of the peak’s 14,268-foot summit. Mapping from Wunderground appears to show that storms were present in the general area of Mount Blue Sky around the time the strike occurred.

The summit of Mount Blue Sky is rocky and exposed, as is the norm among Colorado’s fourteeners. It’s worth noting that a road travels up this mountain, making its summit and a trailhead to the summit that’s found near the top of the peak very accessible.

The last time a lightning strike was fatal in Colorado appears to be in September 2025, when two 25-year-old hunters were killed in Conejos County.

When it comes to lightning above treeline, descending as quickly as possible when storms move in is the best option. Dropping metal gear, such as hiking poles or a backpack with a metal frame, can help, as can crouching low to the ground if escape below treeline is not possible. If escape isn’t possible and crouching to wait it out is the only option, spread out your group to at least 15 feet apart (though some sources say you should aim for about 100 feet) to prevent a situation in which multiple people get struck. Never attempt to hide behind or under a large rock, as large rocks tend to be targets for a lightning strike.

Responding agencies in the Mount Blue Sky incident included Denver Mountain Parks, Alpine Rescue Team, Clear Creek Fire Authority, Clear Creek EMS, and the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.

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