Lightning Strikes Set Homes Ablaze in D.C. Area

Several homes in the D.C. area were struck by lightning during Monday’s storms, reportedly leaving three of them in flames. Firefighters in Leesburg, Virginia, responded to a house fire blamed on lightning in the early evening, while Takoma Park, Maryland, suffered at least two separate lightning-related fires a short time later. Another fire was reported in Frederick, Maryland, around the same time. An elderly man was reportedly rescued and taken to a local hospital, where he was listed in critical condition as a result of smoke inhalation, according to WJLA. Neighbors said they’d heard a loud boom that shook their homes around the time of the fire.