Lightning Possibly Causes House Fire As 41K Lose Power In NJ

More than 41,000 lost power in a wild overnight storm that included a possible lightning strike that caused a house fire. Roads were closed and a train service was shut down in the aftermath (see list of roads closed, towns with power outages below).

Several school districts, including Manchester and West Morris Central, even shut down.

Related:

• Power Outages After Storm Force Manchester Schools To Close
• Power Outage Closes West Morris Central HS Early

A tornado watch was issued around 1:30 a.m. but was canceled by 6 a.m. By that point, however, the damage was already done.

The North Jersey Coast Line was shut down in the Middletown area because a tree was down on the tracks and wires, officials said.

A house in Rutherford caught fire and local officials say a lightning strike was likely to blame. Numerous people on social media captured the house fire on video.

News12 reported that neighbors heard a loud crack before the fire took place. Three people were inside the house.

Read more: Traffic Light Down On South Street In Morristown Monday Morning

Lightning also caused havoc in other areas of the state.

Here is the list of towns that have power outages:

1. MONROE TOWNSHIP 6,828
2. MANCHESTER TOWNSHIP 5,028
3. Atlantic City 3,966
4. MARLBORO TOWNSHIP 2,858
5. BERGENFIELD BORO 2,550
6. WEST DEPTFORD TWP 2,147
7. HAMILTON TWP 1,986
8. JACKSON TOWNSHIP 1,851
9. DELRAN TWP 1,290
10. TOMS RIVER TOWNSHIP 1,198
11. MANALAPAN TOWNSHIP 1,197
12. PENNSAUKEN TWP 951
13. MAPLE SHADE TWP 896
14. HOLMDEL TOWNSHIP 875
15. BURLINGTON TWP 781
16. LONG BRANCH CITY 715
17. MERCHANTVILLE BORO 584
18. UPPER FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP 552
19. WESTAMPTON TWP 511
20. CAMDEN CITY 447
21. EDGEWATER PARK TWP 338
22. BURLINGTON CITY 288
23. WILLINGBORO TWP 263
24. WOODBURY HEIGHTS BORO 234
25. PEMBERTON TOWNSHIP 230
26. Franklin Twp 217
27. NEW MILFORD BORO 197
28. TENAFLY BORO 161
29. Winslow Twp 158
30. WEST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP 131
31. BORDENTOWN TWP 120
32. MIDDLETOWN TOWNSHIP 111
33. MILLSTONE TOWNSHIP 107
34. BLAIRSTOWN TOWNSHIP 105
35. BEVERLY CITY 95
36. RIDGEWOOD VILLAGE 91
37. HOWELL TOWNSHIP 88
38. Buena Vista Twp 84
39. ALLENTOWN BORO 84
40. CHERRY HILL TWP 82
41. ROBBINSVILLE TOWNSHIP 73
42. Salem City 72
43. Millville City 71
44. EVESHAM TWP 68
45. COLTS NECK TOWNSHIP 65
46. NUTLEY TWP 65
47. Elsinboro Twp 63
48. OLD BRIDGE TOWNSHIP 55
49. SANDYSTON TOWNSHIP 44
50. PEMBERTON TWP 42
51. HAMBURG BOROUGH 39
52. HARDYSTON TOWNSHIP 39
53. EMERSON BORO 32
54. BRICK TOWNSHIP 29
55. MANSFIELD TWP 29
56. LIVINGSTON TWP 29
57. Harrison Twp 28
58. CRANBURY TOWNSHIP 27
59. WEST LONG BRANCH BOROUGH 27
60. JAMESBURG BOROUGH 26
61. DELANCO TWP 25
62. Monroe Twp 22
63. EAST WINDSOR TOWNSHIP 20
64. Folsom Boro 18
65. FREEHOLD TOWNSHIP 17
66. HACKENSACK CITY 17
67. SOUTH TOMS RIVER BOROUGH 13
68. NEWARK CITY 12
69. Lawrence Twp 11
70. VERNON TOWNSHIP 10
71. BOGOTA BORO 8
72. CINNAMINSON TWP 8
73. BELLMAWR BORO 8
74. EAST BRUNSWICK TWP 8
75. HIGHTSTOWN BOROUGH 7
76. LAKEHURST BOROUGH 7
77. Upper Pittsgrove Twp 6
78. TINTON FALLS BOROUGH 6
79. STILLWATER TOWNSHIP 6
80. HADDON HEIGHTS BORO 6
81. BELLEVILLE TWP 6
82. Pittsgrove Twp 5
83. CRANBURY TWP 5

TOTAL 41,569

Here are the road problems:

• NJ 34: Downed tree on NJ 34 southbound North of Schank Rd in Marlboro Twp. All lanes closed 10-15 minute delay; use caution.
• I-280: Flooding on I-280 eastbound East of Exit 5 - CR 527 in Roseland. Left and center lanes closed 30 minute delay.
• US 22: Flooding on US 22 westbound East of Wilson Av in North Plainfield use caution.
• NJ 70: Downed wires on NJ 70 westbound East of NJ 37 in Manchester Twp. Right turn lane closed 10-15 minute delay; use caution.
• Garden State Parkway: Accident on the Garden State Parkway northbound South of Exit 89A - NJ 70 East in Toms River Twp. All lanes open.
• NJ 139: Vehicle fire on NJ 139 Lower westbound West of NJ 139 Upper/Kennedy Boulevard in Jersey City. All lanes closed and detoured; 10 minute delay.
• New Jersey Turnpike: Accident and an overturned tractor trailer on the New Jersey Turnpike southbound South of Interchange 5 - CR 541 in Westampton Twp. Right lane closed.
• I-295: Accident on I-295 northbound ramp to Exit 28 - NJ 168/Black Horse Pike in Bellmawr. Partial ramp closed 5-10 minute delay.
• NJ 7: Downed pole and downed wires and a Traffic Signal Down on NJ 7 in both directions area of CR 672/Mill St in Belleville Twp. All lanes closed and detoured.
• Garden State Parkway: Accident on the Garden State Parkway northbound south of Brookdale Service Area in Bloomfield. Left lane blocked.
• Garden State Parkway: Accident on the Garden State Parkway northbound Union Toll Plaza in Hillside Twp lanes 12 and 13 blocked. VMS in use.
• NJ 35: Flooding on NJ 35 in both directions South of Sylvania Av in Neptune City. One lane may be closed; use caution.
• NJ 71: Flooding on NJ 71 in both directions south of Main St in Manasquan. One lane may be closed; use caution.
• NJ 35: Flooding on NJ 35 northbound north of NJ 88 in Point Pleasant Beach. One lane may be closed; use caution.
• NJ 34: Downed tree on NJ 34 southbound north of Schank Rd in Marlboro Twp. All lanes closed; 10-15 minute delay; use caution.
• NJ 18: Flooding on NJ 18 southbound north of Exit 7 - Brighton Ave. in Wall Twp. One lane may be closed; use caution.
• I-80: Flooding on I-80 westbound east of Exit 55 - NJ 62/Union Blvd in Totowa. Left lane closed.
• I-280: Flooding on I-280 eastbound east of Exit 5 - CR 527 in Roseland. Left and center lanes closed; 5-10 minute delay.
• US 22: Flooding on US 22 westbound area of CR 643/Mountain Ave in Bridgewater Twp. Left lane closed.
• NJ 70: Downed wires on NJ 70 in both directions east of NJ 37 in Manchester Twp. All lanes closed and detoured 10-15 minute delay; use caution.
• George Washington Bridge: Accident on the George Washington Bridge eastbound approaching New Jersey side/Upper Level Toll Plaza in Fort Lee. Left lane blocked.
• NJ 7: Downed pole and downed wires and a traffic signal down on NJ 7 in both directions in area of CR 672/Mill St in Belleville Twp. All lanes closed and detoured.
• I-78: Delays and an earlier incident on I-78 eastbound between Exit 11 - CR 614/Pattenburg Rd in Union Twp and Exit 17 - NJ 31 South in Clinton Twp; 10-15 minute delay.
• Garden State Parkway: Vehicle spun out on the Garden State Parkway express lanes northbound north of Exit 109 - CR 520 in Middletown Twp. Left shoulder blocked.
• NJ 41: Delays on NJ 41 northbound approaching North of CR 534/Good Intent Rd in Deptford Twp delays due to volume.