Lightning strikes spark house fires, down trees in Massachusetts

NORWELL, MASS. (WHDH) - Lightning strikes sparked house fires in Wellesley, Norwell and other towns Friday afternoon as a line of strong thunderstorms pushed across the state.

Areas of localized heavy rainfall dumped as much as three inches of rain an hour on some Bay State communities and hundreds of lightning strikes were reported.

In Norwell, a luxury home on Edgewood Park caught fire after a bolt of lightning hit the roof.

Photos from the scene showed flames shooting into the air as firefighters scrambled to extinguish the blaze.

“When I arrived, it appeared that the fire was all up on the roof itself,” Norwell Fire Chief Andrew Reardon said. “That’s very consistent with a lightning strike.”

The fire caused extensive damage. No injuries were reported.

In Wellesley, a lightning strike sparked a two-alarm blaze at a house on Radcliffe Road, police said.

A shed in Holbrook was also struck and destroyed by a fire, according to 7’s Jonathan Hall.

The wild weather also downed trees in Duxbury on Eli’s Lane and Congress Steet.

Thousands of homes were without power at the height of the storms. Most outages in the state were centered on the South Shore.

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