Oh man, this is good.Evidently, nature has a wicked awesome sense of humor.
MONROE, OH (FOX19) - An iconic and massive statue of Jesus in Monroe, OH was destroyed after being struck by lightning Monday night.
The six-story statue was a well-known landmark on Interstate 75 since 2004, and was called "King of Kings" by members of Solid Rock Church, where it stood.
The lightning strike set the statue ablaze just after 11 p.m., Monroe police dispatchers said.
The 62-foot tall and 40-foot wide statue weighing 16,000 pounds quickly became engulfed in flames after the lightning strike. Fire crews were on the scene for several hours to put out the fire, but no one was injured.
The statue, also nicknamed "Touchdown Jesus" because of the way its arms were outstretched, is made out of wood and Styrofoam. The statue also had a steel frame anchored in concrete and fiberglass. The steel frame was all that remained after the fire. According to 911 calls, the lightning struck the right hand of the statue.
The fire spread to the attic of an adjacent amphitheater, but no other buildings at the church were affected. Fire chief Mark Neu says the fire caused $700,000 in damage to the statue and amphitheater. Neu says he believes the church has insurance.
The statue was scheduled to undergo a new paint job this summer after suffering some wear and tear during the harsh winter.
The pastor of Solid Rock Church says the church does plan to rebuild the statue.
Well of course the pastor is going to rebuild, that statue probably brings in quite a few worshipers who like their church like they like their trucks - over-sized and obnoxious.
My suggestion to the church is to make the next statue a progression piece - have Jesus doing a sweet end zone dance.
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