(Portage) A house was damaged by fire caused by a lightning strike in Portage over the weekend. Portage Fire Rescue was dispatched to 506 West Cook Street around 3:30pm Saturday.
Upon arrival, crews found a two-story wood frame structure with heavy fire and smoke showing from the front windows and rear of the building. Firefighters learned that all residents had evacuated safely and then initially made an interior attack, but the flames were so intense, they retreated and fought the fire from the outside.
Before they could control the fire, it spread to the attic and roof. The lightning strike also caused the home in the vicinity to lose power and encounter electrical breaker panel concerns. The lightning traveled through the ground to water laterals as well, causing water main issues.
Alliant Energy was called to the scene to shut down the gas and electric. They also were working with electricians in the homes nearby with electrical issues. The Portage Water Department was on scene working to resolve the water lateral leaks. One animal was rescued, but a couple others were lost in the fire.
There were no firefighter injuries reported.
