Washington Township fire crews responded twice to the same residence on April 2 and 3, 2009. Lightning appears to have been the cause of two fires at 8834 Washington Colony Drive.
At 9:24 p.m. April 2 the fire department received a call for smoke in the home. Neighbors had witnessed lightning strike a television antenna on the roof. One resident of the building noted that the television shut off and that electronic equipment had been damaged.
When crews arrived at the building there was nothing showing from the outside, however, smoke was present inside the condo and also in the attic. Crews extinguished fire in one wall. They were unable to find additional heat anywhere in the unit or adjoining units when using a thermal-imaging camera.
Lewis Berger of 8834 Washington Village was displaced by the fire and smoke damage. He stayed with relatives overnight. No one was injured by the fire. It did not extend to other units within the building.
At 7:03 a.m. April 3 the department received another call for smoke coming from the roof of the same condo. Crews noted smoke from the attic area when they arrived.
Fire Marshal Mike Long stated, “this fire was in a completely different wall and below the area of the fire from last night. It appears that lightning is the cause of this fire. It may have branched off from the strike last night, but there is no charring between the wall affected last night and this fire this morning.” Long also said “the strike last night appears to have been in the coaxial cable from the television antenna, but the fire this morning is in the electrical circuit of the condo.”
Firefighters did a thorough search of all attached units and used thermal-imaging cameras to ensure that no other units were affected by the fire. Insulation was removed from the affected walls of the condo to make sure fire did not extend beyond the source of origin.
Damages to the building are estimated to be around $25.000. Content damages are estimated to be approximately $10,000.
###
Filed under: fire department news | Leave a Comment
Tags: fire, lightning, Washington Colony
No Responses Yet to “Lightning Strike Causes Condo Fire”