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More Than 3,000 Lightning Strikes Hit Bay Area Overnight, Igniting Brentwood Attic Fire

Forecasters expect lingering morning storms to ease by afternoon.

Overview

  • Lightning detection networks logged over 3,000 strikes across the region in roughly 12 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
  • Contra Costa fire officials said a bolt hit a rooftop weathervane at a Brentwood home under renovation around midnight, setting the attic ablaze.
  • Construction workers sleeping inside the house called 911, crews contained the fire to the attic, and no injuries were reported.
  • Thunderstorms concentrated over the South Bay, the Santa Cruz Mountains, and into Monterey and San Benito counties, with activity also observed in Solano County and on the Peninsula.
  • Storm cells produced brief heavy downpours, gusts near 30 mph, and small hail, with up to 0.75 inches of rain recorded in the Santa Cruz Mountains.