Fire caused by lightning damages Palatine home
Posted August 23, 2014 1:01 am
A mom and her son and daughter escaped injury when lightning struck their two-story home and sparked a roof fire Saturday afternoon in Palatine, authorities said.
The residents told firefighters the lightning strike "sounded like an explosion," Palatine Fire Cpt. Jeff Bober said.
The three, all adults, ran outside the home on the 900 block of Wood Street and found the flames on the roof and called 911, Bober said. The lightning apparently hit the chimney. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about 20 minutes.
"We were able to catch it early," Bober said.
Smoke damaged the two rooms on the second floor, while water damaged part of the first floor. Bober pegged the cost of the damage at $60,000 to $70,000.
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