Lighting strike identified as the cause of a July 5th house fire

The Warren County Department of Fire and Rescue Services and the Office of the Fire Marshal have confirmed that a Friday, July 5th fire incident which occurred at 24 Markham Farm Road in the Blue Mountain area of Warren County was a result of a cloud-to-ground contact lighting strike.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and reported smoke evident from the attic area and throughout the first floor of the home. Firefighters forced entry into the home and initiated fire suppression along with search and rescue efforts.

Upon entering the structure, firefighters transmitted a “Mayday Firefighter Down” radio call for two firefighters when the first floor structural members of the floor system collapsed, causing the firefighters to fall through the floor and into basement. Both firefighters were able to self-evacuate from the basement area and were treated on the scene for non-life threatening injuries. Both firefighters were transported to the local center for further evaluation and have since returned to work. After the incident, Fire Chief Richard Mabie ordered a detailed review of this incidents response and action plan and the “near-miss” of two of our emergency responders. As a result, the Office of the Fire Marshal and the WCFR Training Division will complete a WCFR Significant Incident Review and train all members on its findings.

As part of the fire incident investigation, the Warren County Fire Marshal’s Office has been working with the National Weather Service and other weather organizations to perform a detailed look into the lighting strike events due to the significant thunder storms experienced in our area during the evening of July 4th. Fire Marshal Gerry Maiatico stated “It has been determined that between the hours of 4:00 pm and 8:00 pm a total of 95 cloud-to-ground lighting strikes made contact with the ground with in a 3 mile radius of the home. The most significant lightning strike was recorded at 7:33 pm which measured a peak current of 76.9 (kA) and was found to have occurred in the immediate area of the home. This information was obtained by utilizing sophisticated lighting strike/ground contact technology and is consistent with the physical evidence found as part of the fire investigation process.

Fire Chief Richard Mabie stated “while this type of incident is rare and just proves that severe weather advisories and warnings should be taken seriously whenever issued by the National Weather Service.”

According to the National Weather Service; a thunderstorm is considered severe if it produces hail at least 1 inch in diameter or has wind gusts of at least 58 miles per hour. Every thunderstorm produces lightning, which kills more people some years than tornadoes or hurricanes. Heavy rain from thunderstorms can cause flash flooding. High winds can damage homes and blow down trees and utility poles, causing widespread power outages. Every year people are killed or seriously injured because they didn’t hear or ignored severe thunderstorms warnings.

By following these severe weather and lighting safety tips, you can reduce the risk of injury and could even save your life:

• Listen to local news, NOAA Weather Radio or monitor social media for emergency updates. Watch for signs of a storm, like darkening skies, lightning flashes or increasing wind.

• If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be in danger from lightning. If thunder roars, go indoors! Don’t wait for rain. Lightning can strike out of a clear blue sky. Avoid electrical equipment and corded telephones. Cordless phones, cell phones and other wireless handheld devices are safe to use.

• Keep away from windows and doors.

• If you are driving, try to safely exit the roadway and park. Stay in the vehicle and turn on the emergency flashers until the heavy rain ends.

• If you are outside and cannot reach a safe building, avoid high ground; water; tall, isolated trees; and metal objects such as fences or bleachers. Picnic shelters, dugouts and sheds are NOT safe.

• Avoid open fields, the top of a hill or a ridge top.

• Stay away from tall, isolated trees or other tall objects. If you are in a forest, stay near a lower stand of trees.

• If you are in a group, spread out to avoid the current traveling between group members.

• If you are camping in an open area, set up camp in a valley, ravine or other low area. Remember, a tent offers NO protection from lighting.

• Stay away from water, wet items, such as ropes, and metal objects, such as fences and poles. Water and metal do not attract lightning but they are excellent conductors of electricity. The current from a lightning flash will easily travel for long distances.