Barrington house catches fire

A lightning strike sparked a house fire in Barrington on Wednesday.

No one was hurt in the blaze, which caused more than $200,000 damage to the house on the 1400 block of South Cascade Court.

The fire began about 4:30 p.m. when lightning hit a chimney saturated by water from an afternoon rainstorm, Assistant Fire Chief Christian Toussaint said.

The energy heated the water, causing the bricks to explode, he said. It also sparked a fire that spread to the attic.

Residents who were home at the time were alerted by a smoke alarm and fled to a neighbor's house, where they called 911, Toussaint said.

Crews from 11 departments battled the fire and had it under control by 5 p.m. Firefighters remained on the scene for a few more hours, however.

Although it needs a new roof and sustained water and smoke damage, the house is repairable, Toussaint said.