Lightning Starts 2 Montclair House Fires In 1 Week: Officials

MONTCLAIR, NJ — For the second time in a week, a Montclair home was set on fire by lightning, authorities say.

According to the Montclair Fire Department, the latest lightning strike took place on Warren Place on Friday afternoon. When a crew arrived on the scene after getting a call from a resident of the house, they found a fire in a second-floor bedroom.

The people living in the home self-evacuated before their arrival, fire officials said.

Montclair firefighters put out the blaze with coverage assistance from their peers in Bloomfield, East Orange and West Orange. The last crew left the scene at 5:30 p.m.

The home suffered fire damage to the second-floor bedroom, water damage to the first-floor and damage to the chimney. There were no reported injuries, authorities said.

According to a statement from Montclair Deputy Chief Robert Duncan, the fire was caused by a lightning strike.

It’s the second home in the township that’s been set ablaze by lightning in the span of a week, officials say.

On Aug. 3, a nighttime strike caused a three-alarm fire on Bradford Avenue, filling the third-floor of the house with smoke and flames. The residents managed to self-evacuate; firefighters rescued a pet parrot, authorities said.

• See related article: Lightning Sets Montclair Home Ablaze, Family Parrot Rescued

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