Lightning Strike Causes $50,000 in Damage to Lincoln Street Lofts

A lightning strike during Wednesday night's storms is estimated to have caused upwards of $50,000 in damage to units in the Lincoln Street Lofts.

“It was mostly roof damage and then there is going to be water damage for that floor and the floor below them," said Deputy Fire Chief Fred Flynn of the lofts at 406 Lincoln Street.

While lightning strikes do not typically cause a lot of fire damage, this strike hit the roof around 10:29 p.m. and triggered sprinklers within the building. Much of the work of firefighters was in getting the sprinklers turned off and water cleared out of the building to prevent additional damage, said Flynn.

“The strike itself caused the sprinkler to go off not the fire," he said estimating that there was more than $50,000 in damage to the interior of the building.

The strike caused a char in the roof, said Flynn, but the brunt of the damage is to the interior of the building.