ALLEN TWP. — Lightning is the confirmed cause of a fire that destroyed an Allen Township apartment building on June 16, according to a top fire official.
Thunderstorms moved through the region around the time the fire was reported, just after 12:30 p.m. at The Residences at Willow Ridge in the 400 block of Stone Court.
- A massive fire that consumed an apartment building in Allen Township was caused by lightning, the fire chief said
- The blaze broke out as thunderstorms moved through the region on June 16
- Thirty-eight people from 16 apartments were displaced, according to the American Red Cross
“We had a lot of conversations with people that reported they saw and heard the strike very, very, very close,” Allen Township Fire Chief Dale Hassler said late Wednesday. “We also have a Ring camera we got from a private residence of the strike and we definitely have the strike on video.
“We call this the determination and the fire was definitely started by lighting."
Thirty-eight people from 16 apartments were in need of temporary living quarters after the fire, according to the Pennsylvania Rivers Chapter of the American Red Cross.
No injuries were reported in the blaze, which drew firefighters from across Northampton and Lehigh counties.
Fire command officers reported the roof collapsed at about 2 p.m.
Hassler said there’s nothing else that could have started the fire and caused it to spread so fast.
“The lightning struck right along the roofline and the building burned from the top down,” Hassler said. “Due to the size of the complex, some people were unaware of what happened. There were some residents who had to be told, “You have to get out. Your building is on fire.”
According to the latest data available from the National Fire Protection Association, local fire departments in the U.S. respond to more than 22,600 lightning-caused fires each year.
Most of these fires occur outdoors, but most associated deaths, injuries, and property damage are associated with home fires, the data showed.
Fencing surrounded the Willow Ridge property Wednesday, with cleanup underway.
It was the second massive fire to destroy multiple homes and displace dozens of people in just under three weeks in Northampton County. A Memorial Day blaze destroyed 15 row homes on Ferry Street in Easton.
That blaze burned more than four hours and went to six alarms before it was declared under control, city Fire Chief Henry Hennings said.
Easton now has a plan to acquire 18 properties and convert the burned-out row into affordable housing.
The Easton Redevelopment Authority (RDA) on Wednesday night approved a resolution that will allow the government entity to acquire the properties through negotiation.
