Flames reportedly shot out of a kitchen sink during the early morning Thursday, Oct. 10, after lightning struck a home on N. Washington Street.<\/p>\n
Cortez Fire Protection District Chief Jeff Vandevoorde said crews were called to 609 N. Washington St. about 5 a.m. Thursday for the lightning strike, which appeared to have struck a television antenna on the roof, sending an electrical surge through the home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe TV cables on the outside wall were blown off and fried,\u201d Vandevoorde said. \u201cThe lightning blew out a gas meter, destroyed the phone lines and caused a water main to break.\u201d<\/p>\n
No injuries were reported, and utility crews remained on the scene as of 8:30 Thursday morning to repair the broken water line and gas meter, Vandevoorde said.<\/p>\n
While on the scene, fire crews received four additional 911 emergency calls, all within a half-hour of their initial dispatch. Vandevoorde said part-time and volunteer fire crews helped man the station and respond to another structure fire on N. Ash Street, two natural gas emergencies and an emergency medical incident.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis all happened within 30 minutes,\u201d Vandevoorde said Thursday morning. \u201cWe\u2019re hoping not to receive any more calls.\u201d<\/p>\n
As of press time, power had been restored to all impacted residences, except for the home on N. Washington, Vandevoorde said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe took a pretty major hit this morning, but the crews did a great job,\u201d he added. \u201cWe made a lot of people happy.\u201d<\/p>\n