Lightning strike damages Waterloo home

(Submitted: Susan Weber)

A lightning strike damaged a Waterloo home during a powerful storm that moved through southern Ontario early Tuesday morning.

Emergency crews were told a tree was hit on Edgebrook Place.

Members of the Waterloo Fire Department initially responded around 4 a.m. but left following the arrival of Enbridge workers.

“They were called to a report of a structure fire. When they got there, they were met by our colleagues at Waterloo Regional Police who had extinguished the fire with an extinguisher. So, it was a tree that was struck adjacent to a house,” Deputy Fire Chief Jake Herring told CTV News.

Officials said a garage window was damaged and breakers inside the home were tripped as a result of the lightning strike. No injuries were reported.

“There was some damage to the garage, adjacent to the tree. And then there was just a bit of a smell of natural gas. So, Enbridge was contacted, and it was just a rupture of a line that ran right beside the tree that was struck,” Herring explained.

He added that there were no immediate safety concerns at the property or to the surrounding homes.

Enbridge workers were still seen working at the property around 10:40 a.m.

“There was no gas release and no displacement of residents,” said Chloe Mills, a spokesperson with Enbridge, in an email to CTV News. “Our crews replaced the affected section of pipe, safely relit the customer’s service and are completing restoration work.”

Tuesday’s storm brought heavy rain, hail and strong winds to parts of the region.

In Guelph, localized flooding briefly forced the closure of several streets. The water subsided by about 8 a.m.

Fire officials are reminding residents to stay indoors during thunderstorms, avoid electrical systems and take precautions when severe weather moves through.

“It’s really hard to know where lightning is going to strike, but knowing that we will have some substantial rainfall in the coming weeks and months, removing things like leaves and debris from your gutters and storm drains nearby, checking your downspouts to make sure that they’re functional, checking the windows, making sure everything’s properly secured, confirming that your sump pump is working,” Herring said. “Seeking shelter and never going and standing under a tree for the obvious aforementioned issue.”

He encourages residents to subscribe to Alert Waterloo Region to be notified of community emergencies as they happen.