NEWBURYPORT — Lightning was the likely cause of a two-alarm fire Wednesday afternoon that left one Moseley Place woman needing a place to stay for at least the night.
Newburyport Deputy Fire Chief Barry Salt said witnesses told him Eileen Mullen’s townhouse condominium was struck by lightning around 2 p.m. during a brief storm that rolled into the area.
A neighbor who did not wish to be identified said the thunder sounded like a cannon, or even a bomb had gone off.
Smoke could be seen coming from the eaves of the condominium when local firefighters arrived according to Salt who added a neighbor had opened the condominium’s door for quick access. Only minutes passed before a second alarm was rung, bringing in firefighters from across the region.
“We got up to the second floor and there was a pull-down staircase in the front bedroom. You could feel the heat coming from the fire at that point,” he said.
Salt added firefighters established a hose line and ventilated the roof. By 3 p.m. the fire had been knocked down.
“There were no injuries and the homeowner was not home at the time,” he said.
Mullen said she was driving home from work when she heard about the fire, only to see firefighters ripping into her roof with axes when she arrived.
“I’m fine and I’m thankful they got here so fast,” she said.
Ed Schulman lives directly next door to Mullen at 7 Moseley Place and was home when the fire started. Schulman said he heard a loud thunderclap accompanied by a bright flash of lightning.
“It was startling and very loud,” he said “The electricity went off, then it went on and the smoke alarm went off and then on. But we’re all right. We’re just worried about the possessions in the house.”
Another neighbor, Tom Landwehr said he saw the fire trucks pull in, then noticed flames were shooting up, out of Mullen’s home.
“The fire department was here pretty quick,” he said. “They were really efficient in getting here and they put water on it, right away.”
Firefighters from Amesbury, Newbury, Salisbury, Seabrook, Hampton, N.H. were among those who responded to the scene. Firefighters from West Newbury and Rowley covered Newburyport stations.
Moseley Place is located off Moseley Avenue close to Three Corners.