Copper
Applications
Lightning protection and robust
grounding essential for steeples, roof structures
A Case Study
A Tale of Two Churches
Photo curtesy of Richmond Times-Dispatch
The near-total destruction of Richmond, Virginia’s historic St. James Episcopal Church by a 1994
lightning strike is believed to have resulted when the strike hit the ungrounded, copper-clad steeple,
from which energy traversed the wooden roof structure, setting it ablaze, rather than being directed
safely to earth. An alternative explanation sees the strike initially contacting a distribution transformer
behind the structure.
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