Naperville handles two fires in two days, one caused by lightning

Naperville firefighters responded to two house fires within 15 hours Wednesday and Thursday, one of them caused by a lightning strike, authorities said.

The first came about 9:17 p.m. Wednesday, when a large house on the 2400 block of West Branch Court caught fire after being struck by lightning, officials said.

The second occurred about 11:53 a.m. Thursday, when a blaze started inside a first-floor bedroom near a computer in a house on the 5S600 block of North Wright Street, Division Chief Amy Scheller said.

The cause of the Thursday fire has not yet been determined. But it drew a large response of 24 firefighters to the scene.

Two people and multiple pets were displaced Wednesday from the house on West Branch Court. The residents evacuated before fire crews arrived and were assisted by the Red Cross, authorities said.

Firefighters put out active burning at Wednesday's fire within an hour and remained on the scene for another 90 minutes.

Crews were able to extinguish Thursday's fire on Wright Street within 20 minutes, after searching the house and determining no one was inside, Scheller said. The home was deemed uninhabitable.

No injuries were reported in either fire.