NH Lightning Strike Sparks Fire At Library

HOPKINTON, NH — Lightning sparked a fire at a New Hampshire library Friday afternoon. The incident happened at about 4:45 p.m. at the Hopkinton Town Library. Lightning hit the cupola, sparking a minor fire.

"Access to the cupola and crawl spaces was difficult, which hindered firefighting operations for a short time," Hopkinton fire officials said in a statement. "The fire was put under control shortly after and crews continued to search for hotspots in the ceilings."

There was extensive smoke and water damage to the library.

Firefighters from Boscawen, Concord, Hillsborough, Henniker, Warner, Bow and Dunbarton responded to the scene.

The fire broke out during a period of severe thunderstorms that even prompted a tornado warning. The storms flooded roads in Manchester and tore down large trees in the North Country.

Fire officials shared these photos of the Hopkinton library fire:

Photo credit: Hopkinton Fire Department