Woman Hospitalized after Lightning Strike

A woman was injured when a lightning bolt struck her house Sunday evening in the 10 block of Matthew Circle in Northampton.

The female was in the bathroom when lightning struck the roof of the house near where she stood, Chief Adam Selisker said. The chief was unsure if the woman was directly struck by the lightning.

The victim was “alert and talking” when fire responders arrived shortly before 7:30 p.m. Members of the Tri-Hampton Rescue Squad transported the woman to the hospital, Selisker told Patch.

The lightning strike caused a fire in the roof and walls of the home, which was extinguished by homeowners and firefighters, the chief said. Selisker added that the home suffered smoke damage and a "softball-sized hole" where the lightning struck.

During the same storm, one person was killed and nine others were hurt when a lightning bolt struck a parking lot behind the grandstands at Pocono Raceway, according to the Associated Press.

A lightning strike is suspected of starting a .

Sunday evening, firefighters from Newtown and Upper Southampton covered Northampton’s fire station while crews were responding to Matthew Circle.