Lightning strikes Gurnee townhouse, displacing family

Lightning started a townhouse fire that displaced a Gurnee family on Monday night.

The Gurnee Fire Department was dispatched to a row of six townhouses at 700 Wakefield Road at 6:41 p.m. after a neighbor outside witnessed the lightning strike. The neighbor saw embers and sparks rolling down a roof and called 911.

The fire, which was confined to an attic of one of the homes, was distinguished quickly. The Gurnee Fire Department was on the scene for about an hour and half.

A family of four, including two children, and the family dog were displaced due to water damage and the fact that the ceiling had to be pulled down to access the fire.