W.H. house fire ignited by lightning

A middle-of-the-night lightning storm ignited a house fire in West Hempstead today, setting the second floor of a Cape Cod home ablaze, the West Hempstead Fire Department reported.

According to department Chief Peter Lilli, the house fire, located at 225 Lexington Avenue, was called in by a neighbor at 4:41 a.m.. The neighbor said he was woken by thunder, lighting and the sounds of his dog’s constant barking. The neighbor went outside, smelled something burning, and eventually noticed plumes of smoke coming from the roof of the neighboring house. No one was in the house at the time, Lilli said.

The fire department contained the blaze to the second floor, although severe damage was done throughout the home in order to extinguish the fire.

Fire departments from Lakeview, Hempstead, Malverne, Franklin Square and Elmont, offered mutual assistance. Lillie reported roughly 65 volunteer firefighters arrived at the scene to battle the blaze in the pouring rain.

The fire was extinguished by 6:00 a.m.