Electrical storm sets ablaze second home in about three weeks
By Natalie Bazinet
Staff Writer
FORT FAIRFIELD — They say that lightning never strikes the same place twice, but that idiom is being tested in Fort Fairfield as the second home in about three weeks was engulfed in flames after being hit by lightning on July 13 at approximately 9 p.m.
Fort Fairfield, Limestone and Caribou Fire Departments responded to the South Caribou Road blaze and were met with two separate fires in the structure, Fort Fairfield and Limestone Fire Chief Paul Durepo explained.
“Lightning entered the home by the electrical panel box and set fire to their finished cellar and also started a fire upstairs at the same time because of electrical surges in the power line,” he explained.
While basement fires are typically dangerous to firefighters because they tend to offer only one point of exit, firefighters made their way into the basement to extinguish the larger fire before making their way to the second floor.
The firefighters spent roughly three hours snuffing out embers. The house is still structurally sound but sustained extensive heat and smoke damage.
According to Chief Durepo, the fact that the house is still standing is directly credited to the quick-thinking of home owner and retired military firefighter Larry Libby.
“He is experienced in structure fires and after he got everyone out of the house, the most important thing he could have done was to close all the doors and he did,” Chief Durepo explained. “Had he left a door open, there wouldn’t be a house there anymore.”
“[Though personal safety should always come first] if your home catches on fire, you need to close your doors — all of them,” the chief emphasized. “He closed all the doors knowing that it would prevent the fire from getting the oxygen it needed.”
While the quick response of both Libby and area firefighters kept the building standing, not much can be done to prevent lightning from striking a home.
“In this case, the home was properly wired and properly grounded,” Chief Durepo described. “There’s not a lot you can do to prevent lightning from hitting a home.”
A bolt of lightning, on average, measures up to be approximately 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit and contains hundreds of millions of volts of electricity.
A common misconception about lightning is that it always strikes the highest point.
“Lightning very often will not strike the tallest object around,” explained National Weather Service Meteorologist at the Caribou Office Todd Lericos.
In Aroostook County, two house fires caused by lightning strikes in three weeks is an uncommon occurrence.
“As strange as it is, we had a building in the Fort Fairfield electrical storm almost three weeks ago on the West Road,” Durepo said. The West Road home, struck by lightning on June 20, sustained greater damage than the July 13 lightning fire.
“Previous to June 20 fire, there was only one other lightning strike fire in Fort Fairfield during the 11 years I’ve been chief.
In other parts of the country, however, electrical storms ignite structures relatively frequently.
“Lightning-caused fires happen quite often,” Lericos said. “It happens infrequently in Aroostook County because thunderstorms generally occur infrequently.”
Though two structure fires in two weeks due to lightning may raise a few eyebrows, indoors is still the place to be when it comes to thunderstorms.
“No place outside is safe when it comes to lightning,” Lericos explained, “Your best bet is to stay indoors, away from windows.”
According to Lericos, you’re within reach of a lightning bolt if you can hear thunder and he cautions individuals to head indoors once they hear that distinctive rumbling.
Another common misconception is that individuals can be electrocuted by touching a lightning struck victim.
“If someone is struck by lightning, they don’t carry a charge and are safe to approach to administer immediate medical attention,” Lericos advised.
