A fire in a Lakewood resident’s attic this morning was caused by a lightning strike, officials say.
The Ridge Avenue resident was woken by the smoke alarm at about 4:30 AM, but didn’t make much of it – as it has gone of in error in the past. With no apparent issue, the resident shut the alarm.
A short time later, the alarm sounded again, and this time they smelled fire and called the fire department and evacuated the home.
Upon arrival, firefighters noticed a fire in the attic, and smoke coming from a gaping hole in the roof. The fire was extinguished before it would spread to the rest of the home.
The homeowner tells TLS this was Hashgacha Pratis, as he was away for several weeks, and had just returned last night. If any more time had elapsed, the home could have been in flames, fire officials said.
“When you hear an alarm, call the fire department right away,” the homeowner told TLS.
This incident comes just days after a shed was struck by lightning in the same development.
Perhaps they should invest in lightning rods
This story is the reason we always tell people to call to call the FD, especially if you can’t figure out why the alarm went off. Never go back to sleep without determining the cause of the alarm, something may be burning, even if it’s not obvious as this story clearly shows. A working alarm should not malfunction for no reason, something is happening or the alarm needs to be replaced and should not be shut off and ignored. Thankfully, as the homeowner stated, they were home to notice and thankfully they did not wake up to their attic aflame or worse.
Nice pix
Most people dont know this but fire/smoke alarms have an expiration date, both battery and electric type. Most units should be replaced every 6 years on the average.
I agree with the lightning rod statement earlier. I think everybody should get a lightning rod installed in that neighborhood.
wait. so does lightning strike twice??
yes, it can
Interesting. I was once in that neighborhood – and I rarely am – and was treated to a deafening lightning strike barely a block in front of me. I wonder if any neighbors there notice a frequency of strikes.
Which development is it
White Oak off of Ridge Street. Adjacent to Shlomowitz Yeshiva.
I wouldn’t go there if the clouds look heavy with this lightning going on, I personally call in The Lightning Neighborhood.