Crime & Safety
Thunderstorm Causes Four Westwood Fires
One house was struck by lightning and power lines fell into a street when a sudden storm hit the area Monday.
A sudden heavy thunderstorm Monday afternoon caused three fires within minutes and blocks of each other and a fourth later that evening, according to Westwood Fire Chief Jaymee Hodges.
One fire was started when lightning struck the chimney of a Second Avenue home. There was no serious damage to the house, but the strike apparently caused a surge that affected an air conditioner in a building on Third Avenue, causing another fire.
The storm also knocked down a pair of 26,000-volt power lines on nearby Mill Street, causing a fire in the street which damaged the road and sidewalk.
Later, after 7:30 p.m., a fourth fire started at the corner of Mill Street and Lafayette Avenue when a crew from PSE&G turned the power back on. Flames shot up 20 feet from a utility pole there, according to Hodges.
Firefighters from Hillsdale assisted with the incidents on Second and Third Avenues, Hodges said.
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