LAKEWOOD – After a lightning bolt struck a pine tree and burned down 3,500 acres of forest in South Jersey, a home on Remon Lane in Lakewood became the latest victim of recent summer thunderstorms when lightning hit its roof in the early morning hours of Monday, July 24th.
Although the resident was woken up by their smoke detector sounding off around 4:30 a.m., they assumed it went off in error and did not immediately call the authorities. When the smoke detector went off again later that morning around 9 a.m., the resident started to smell smoke and decided to call the Lakewood Fire Department.
When firefighters arrived on the scene, Firefighter James Ecks, along with Firefighters Robert Cook, Thomas Schick and John Sonner quickly discovered a fire in the attic that started as a result of the early morning lighting strike. They were able to confine and extinguish the flames before they could engulf into a full-fledged blaze and spread throughout the house.
“Had it not been for the quick and decisive actions of the responding firefighters, the home could have rapidly become engulfed in flames,” said Fire Chief Mike D’Elia in a statement. “Residents should never hesitate or delay calling 911 to request the Fire Department any time their smoke detector or carbon monoxide alarm sounds.”
The Lakewood Board of Fire Commissioners urges residents to always call the fire department if they have even the slightest suspicion there could be danger, even if the issue seems to be harmless. Residents should also make sure they have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in their homes. Both alarms should ideally be located outside of all bedrooms, and additionally, smoke detectors should be placed on every floor.
