Lightning Caused House Fire In Montclair, Officials Say

MONTCLAIR, NJ — A lightning strike during a summer storm sparked a house fire in Montclair on Thursday, authorities said.

The Montclair Fire Department released the following statement about the incident on Friday:

“On July 8 at 4:22 p.m., the Montclair Fire Department received a call from a passer-by reporting smoke and fire coming from a rooftop on Midland Avenue. Upon arrival, MFD units evacuated the house. The fire was located on the third floor. MFD units had to pull the ceilings to gain access to the attic area and extinguish the fire. There was heavy fire, smoke and water damage to the third floor and water damage throughout. Units from Bloomfield and East Orange helped to bring the fire under control while units from West Orange, Orange and Cedar Grove covered the township for the duration of the incident … The last unit cleared the scene at 6:44 p.m.”

A pair of fire department injuries were reported. There were no reported civilian injuries, authorities said.

The fire was caused by a lightning strike, authorities said.

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