PARKVILLE, Mo. — Park University evacuated a building on campus Monday morning after lightning struck.

Lightning hit one of the spires at Mackay Hall around 9:45 a.m. Monday as thunderstorms moved through the area.

“It was a very loud boom. It sounded like a crack of thunder,” Park professor Eugene Matthews said. “Usually, you see a flash of light and you wait a second and you hear this loud kaboom, but this was almost instantaneous.”

The lightning left a damaged spot on the top of Mackay Hall’s clock tower.

A spokesperson for Park University said the strike caused smoke, and firefighters responded but didn’t find a fire inside the building or any major damage.

The university evacuated the building for about 15 minutes as a precaution.

“It was like a big boom. It was really hard,” Park student David Pizzaro said. “All of the fire trucks came in because it was on fire. It was crazy.”

The strike knocked out internet and phone access to Mackay Hall and three other buildings on campus. Some staff members worked from other other areas on campus until service was restored. Classes at the university were not impacted.

Across the metro, Kansas City fire officials said a home near Loose Park was also hit by lightning, but there was no significant damage. An air conditioning unit at the Richard Bolling Federal Building was hit by lightning, too.