Lightning strikes Richmond Road home, causes fire
A lightning strike sparked a fire at a Lexington home during Thursday evening’s storms.
The Lexington Fire Department responded to a call about a house fire on Richmond Road near Richmond Avenue about 6:30 p.m. The homeowner heard a loud noise while he was in his house and saw flames in his attic after the lightning struck, Lexington Fire Maj. Matt Galati said.
Galati said crews were on the roof and in the attic while trying to put out the fire for almost 20 minutes. The lightning struck the chimney and then insulation and electric wires in the attic caught fire.
“We were able to get ahead of it, and the fact that he was home and we were able to get an early start on it made the difference,” Galati said. “It could have been a real situation, a real big fire, if we hadn’t got here as quickly as we did.”
The fire department had to cut away a portion of the roof, Galati said. A westbound section of Richmond Road near Richmond Avenue was closed while firefighters were on the scene.
No injuries were reported.
McKenna Horsley: 859-231-3197, @mckennahorsley
This story was originally published June 23, 2016 at 9:03 PM with the headline "Lightning strikes Richmond Road home, causes fire."