On Wednesday, June 22, 52-year-old Antonia Mendoza Chavez and her two dogs were killed by a lightning strike in Pico Rivera while on a walk. 

Police and paramedics responded to a call at around 8:50 a.m. and discovered Chavez and her two dogs deceased on a trail.

There were no witnesses to the incident, but the paramedics on the scene determined that her injuries were caused by lightning.

“It's really sad but she's in heaven now,” said Gloria Colocho, the victim's friend of two years. “The Lord wanted her really quick, so he took her without suffering— in a blink of an eye.”

The lightning was caused by a series of storms that initially started in Baja California and traveled throughout Southern California. 

As a result of this incident, the city advised residents to stay inside at all times until the storm passes.

“We want everybody to be careful. There's a lot of instability in the air,” Pico Rivera City Manager Steve Carmona said in an interview with Fox 11. “Today's incident is a strong reminder that people and organizations must exercise extreme caution and stay indoors as much as possible during a thunderstorm.”

By Alexandria Kim