Firefighters battle lightning, hail while extinguishing fire at Colorado facility
“This facility has a complex roof line and we were dealing with a continuing lightning storm,” the incident commander said in a statement. “We had to pull people off because of the storm and then reorient to search from the inside.”
(Photo credit: Poudre Fire Authority)
Firefighters in Fort Collins, Colorado, faced lightning and hail Tuesday as they worked to put out an attic fire at a memory care facility, officials said.
According to the Poudre Fire Authority, crews were dispatched during a hailstorm with frequent lightning strikes. They arrived to find smoke coming from the roof of the facility and had to “walk over piles of hail” to enter and track down the source.
(Photo credit: Poudre Fire Authority)
(Photo credit: Poudre Fire Authority)
Staff had already evacuated 30 residents, moving them safely to another wing of the building. All residents were evaluated by staff, and no injuries were reported.
“This facility has a complex roof line, and we were dealing with a continuing lightning storm,” the incident commander said in a statement. “We had to pull people off because of the storm and then reorient to search from the inside.”
(Photo credit: Poudre Fire Authority)
Firefighters eventually found a small fire at the peak of the attic and extinguished it. Crews searched to confirm the blaze had not spread into walls or ceilings, and vented smoke from the affected wing. Officials said most of the damage was limited to the upper and exterior areas of the roof.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
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