Lightning strike causes Helena house fire

Published 9:55 am Monday, June 21, 2010

Fire damaged a house in Helena June 19 after it was struck by lightning during a severe thunderstorm.

The fire began at about 9:35 p.m. June 19 at 6012 Woodvale Road while the Helena Fire Department was responding to a battery of lightning strike reports throughout the city, said Helena Fire Department Chief John Wilder.

Nobody was injured in the fire.

“We had several calls of lightning strikes on Friday, and one resulted in a structure fire,” Wilder said. “Nobody was at the residence at the time.”

Firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze shortly after they arrived, but the fire destroyed the interior of the house and caused a portion to collapse.

Although it was the only structure fire reported in Helena during the June 19 severe weather, Helena firefighters responded to at least four other lightning strike calls, Wilder said.

“It was a bad weekend here. It was crazy,” Wilder said. “I don’t know what’s going on.”