House Catches Fire After Being Struck By Lightning

There were no injuries, but two people have been displaced.


A house in the Libertytown area was damaged by fire Tuesday afternoon as a powerful storm blew through the area.

Shortly before 1:00 PM, fire fighters responded to the 9700 block of Green Valley Road for a house struck by lightning. “First arriving crews  found fire showing from a second-story window. It was a two-story, single-family farm house,” says Battalion Chief Kevin Fox with Fire and Rescue Services. “It took crews approximately about a half-hour to extinguish the blaze.”

Fox says there were no injuries and the two occupants of the home got out safely. “It was determined to be a lightning strike that caused the fire. It caused about $30,000 damage,” he says.

The two who were displaced are staying with family.

The powerful storm which came through the area on Tuesday afternoon knocked down trees across roadways, and caused scattered power outages as wires also knocked down. Fox says there were wires down on Green Valley Road which made answering the fire call a challenge.

Lightning also struck a house nearby, but Fox says fire and rescue crews were not called to that incident.

The heavy rain and lightning continued into Tuesday evening. A home at 6208 Dispatch Way in Linton Farms was struck by lightning, but no fire was reported, according to the website the Frederick Scanner.

Fire and rescue personnel were also dispatched to 13,701 Old National Pike in Mount Airy at 7:23 PM for a house fire, with the home fully involved, says the Frederick Scanner. There is no report on any injuries. The fire fighting command which was established to fight the fire was terminated at 9:37 PM.