Lightning Strikes Twice in Oxford Neighborhood

Lightning struck two nearby homes, causing minimal harm to both, in an Oxford neighborhood during Thursday night's brief storm that was far more calm than predicted.

The first incident occurred just before 8 p.m. at 31 MacIntosh Drive when a lighting bolt struck an electrical panel, causing a minor fire that the Oxford Fire Department quickly extinguished, said Fire Chief Scott Pelletier.

The homeowners had light smoke damage and called an electrician but were able to stay in their home.

Minutes later, lightning hit a water pipe at nearby 4 Courtland Place, less than a half mile from the house on MacIntosh. The homeowner on Courtland Place said he felt a minor charge of electricity come through his computer and had water in his basement. 

Nobody was injured in either incident. 

Pelletier said there were some branches down on roads, and about 60 people lost power on and near Chestnut Tree Hill Road and Punkup Road due to a blown transformer in Seymour. That was fixed by 9:30 p.m., about 90 minutes after it went down.

“Other than that, we fared very well,” Pelletier said. “We watched the lightning come through like you wouldn’t believe for a while, and then we got some light rain, but it wasn’t bad.”