Lightning during Friday morning's storms struck several homes in our area.
In Waukesha, a house at 1709 Rockridge Way was hit by lightning shortly before 2:15 a.m.
The Waukesha Fire Department said the home's occupants had already left the building when first responders arrived on scene.
In total, marks on the house indicated it was struck by lightning in three separate locations, the fire department said.
But firefighters said only one strike point resulted in a fire, which was contained and quickly extinguished.
In Franklin, the fire chief said a lightning strike is the most likely scenario behind a fire that broke out just after 2:00 a.m. at 6909 W. Wildflower Court.
The chief said the department doesn't officially dub lightning the cause of a fire unless someone witnesses the strike. However, he said there was nothing suspicious about the fire, which started in the property's roof/attic area.
A third, suspected lightning strike was reported around 2:30 a.m. at a duplex in Wauwatosa.
The Wauwatosa Fire Department said the owner of the property, at 2208 N. 62nd Street, told first responders she felt the house get hit by lightning.
Damage was visible on the property's roof, and emergency responders on the scene said a large amount of water seeped into the finished attic.
"The exact cause of the fire is undetermined, but strongly suspected to have been caused by a lightning strike," the Wauwatosa Fire Department said in a news release
"The fire was extinguished and placed under control within 15 minutes of the first units arriving on-scene," Wauwatosa FD said.
Neither the owner or a second occupant of the duplex was injured.
A house fire also broke out around 6:05 a.m. on Weyerhaven Court in Menomonee Falls.
The Menomonee Falls Fire Department said lightning was likely the cause of the blaze. Damage was contained to the roof and attic area.
Neighbors reported hearing heavy storms in the area just before the house caught fire.
"It was really, really loud this morning," said Katie Burbach. "We were up all night."
"It was scary," Burbach said of the fire.
A police officer on the scene said a neighbor called 911.
The home was not occupied. Neighbors said its owners haven't moved in yet.
"There was smoke coming from (the home's) roof," said Cindi Reynolds, who lives across the street. "You could smell it and you could see it."
"I feel bad for the owners of the house," she added.
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