Lightning Fires Abound

Several fires in the area are being blamed on lightning. The Southwest Fire District assisted Aboite Township crews fighting three fires within 40 minutes. One blaze was reported at a home inside the Chestnut Hills neighborhood…it sustained minor damage. Then, a barn caught fire on Bass Road. With 7,000 bales of hay inside, the barn suffered heavy damage…a firefighter suffered a leg injury. Then, minutes after that, a fire was reported at a home off Illinois Road. It sustained minor damage. The National Weather Service reported 378 lightning strikes in the area.