Overview
- A lightning strike hit a 60-foot pine behind 395 Randolph St. early Friday and carved a trench through the ground that reached the garage, where the home's electrical panel caught fire.
- Abington and multiple neighboring departments launched a three-alarm response and brought heavy blaze under control after a lengthy fight, with crews still dousing flare-ups into the afternoon.
- Four residents, two adults and two children, evacuated the home safely and one firefighter was taken to hospital for smoke inhalation and is expected to recover.
- The strike melted an outdoor cable and a lock on a neighboring house and a car struck a fire truck while Route 18 was being closed during firefighting operations.
- National Grid and the town’s building and wiring inspectors remain on scene to assess wiring, meter and structural hazards because lightning can travel through trees, soil and wiring to ignite or damage buildings.