Lightning bolt likely cause of Simcoe house fire

A bolt of lightning was the likely cause of a house fire in Simcoe on Wednesday, according to the fire department in Norfolk County.

As an early-spring thunderstorm brought down heavy rain across the county, firefighters got a call around 12:30 p.m. about a house fire on Falls Crescent.

The unlucky lightning strike hit a metal vent on the side of the house, and the current travelled through the ducts to a heat recovery ventilation system in the basement, said Katie Ballantyne, community safety officer with the fire department, in an interview with The Spectator.

Fire crews from three stations responded and found the basement of the house engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing up into the main floor.

A man escaped the house with his two pets, a cat and a dog, and firefighters managed to contain the fire to the basement.

Damage to the house, which was insured, is estimated at $150,000, according to the fire department.

J.P. Antonacci's reporting on Haldimand and Norfolk is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. jpantonacci@thespec.com