By Rory J. Thompson
Traffic, trains and air travel were snarled by the fierce weather, and a house on Hendrickson Avenue was struck by lightning, causing a serious attic fire.
Power lines were not immune, either. A line on Brower Avenue, north of Lakeview, was struck at 10 p.m., plunging 300 customers into darkness. Crews from the Rockville Centre Electric Department worked to restore service by 2 a.m., even as the storm continued.
According to Fire Chief Michael Lapkowski, volunteer firefighters were already in the firehouses and standing by, awaiting the bad weather, which had been predicted. As the storm raged, the chimney of a home at 46 Hendrickson Avenue took a direct hit from a bolt of lightning shortly after 8:30 p.m. Fortunately, the residents were at home and, hearing the blast and smelling smoke, they ran to their garage and called the fire department, which responded immediately.
"Because we had members in the firehouses and the homeowners called immediately, we were able to quickly respond and had water on the fire within minutes of the lightning strike," Lapkowski said.
The blast was so strong that it knocked the chimney cap to the front lawn and blasted off several bricks, according to one firefighter.
The fire department pulled hoses into the house to fight the fire. The ladder company stretched its bucket to the roof, and cut a 2-foot by 3-foot hole to vent the smoke and check for hidden fire in the eaves. "The roof joists were badly scorched," a firefighter reported. "It's fortunate we got there as quickly as we did."
The fire was contained to the attic and one bedroom, although there was smoke and water damage throughout, Lapkowski said. Firefighters spread heavy-duty tarps over the house's furnishings to protect them from water damage.
Firefighters were on the scene for nearly two hours, even as the storm continued to rage and rain poured down. One fireman was treated for smoke inhalation at the scene.
Volunteers continued to stand by at local firehouses until about 2 a.m. due to a power outage in the village.
Judy Rattner contributed to this story.
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