Firefighter K. Sanderson A fire broke out at a North Beacon Street house on Friday afternoon. It may have been caused by a lightning strike.
A fire broke out at a home on North Beacon Street on Friday afternoon, and it may have been caused by a lightning strike.
The fire alarm came in shortly after 4 p.m. and flames were coming out of the second floor when Watertown Firefighters arrived, according to the Watertown Fire Department. The fire was out by 6 p.m. and firefighters stayed afterward to check for hot spots.
Deputy Fire Chief Tom McManus ordered a second alarm shortly after crews arrived.
Provisional Fire Chief Ryan Nicholson said Saturday that the fire remains under investigation, but investigators believe it may have been caused by a power surge in the are caused by a lightning strike. It is not likely that the home was hit directly by lightning, he added.
The four residents inside the home got out with no injuries, according to a report by WCVB Channel 5.
The origin and cause remain under investigation but it may have been caused by lightning.
The Watertown Fire Department thanked its mutual aid partners for responding to the fire and covering the fire stations. These included Belmont, Waltham, Cambridge, and Newton.
That’s a scary story. The odds of any individual house being struck by lightning are tiny, but lightning-caused surges are likely to become increasingly common as the weather gets weirder.
Here’s an article that describes how to protect appliances and electronic devices from power surge damage. Helpful info, but it doesn’t talk about how a surge can cause a fire. https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/home-lightning-protection/
An explanation from our Watertown Fire Department of how this fire may have started and some advice on how to protect against a surge-caused-fire would be very welcome.