Possible lightning strike ignites Bay Shore home
Firefighters located the fire in a hidden compartment in the attic.
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A possible lightning strike ignited a Bay Shore home on Friday.
The Bay Shore Fire Department says that they received the call shortly before 10 a.m. for a house that had possibly been struck on Burnett Avenue. Firefighters located the fire in a hidden compartment in the attic and were able to extinguish it.
“This incident is a reminder that fires resulting from lightning strikes can develop in concealed areas of a building without immediately producing visible flames," said Bay Shore Fire Chief John Ippolito, Jr. "Our firefighters were faced with challenging conditions due to the construction of the home and the difficulty accessing the fire. Through teamwork, coordinated operations, and aggressive firefighting efforts, our members were able to locate and extinguish the fire before it could spread further throughout the residence. I commend all of our responding personnel and mutual aid partners for their professionalism and dedication.”
Suffolk police say that everyone evacuated from the home and no injuries were reported.
The fire department is reminding people that lightning strikes can ignite fires in attics, walls, roof assemblies, and other concealed structural spaces, and may continue to burn or smolder without obvious signs from the outside.
