‘Test your smoke detectors’: Rooftop fire possibly caused by lightning strike

The entry point of the lightning strike is seen in this undated photo. Uploaded May 24, 2026. (Facebook/Headingley Fire Department)

Headingley Fire Department is asking residents to check their smoke detectors following a fire possibly caused by a lightning strike.

In a social media post on Thursday, the department said crews were dispatched at 5:17 a.m. that day to a possible structure fire.

The homeowners woke up from the sound of their smoke detector, initially thinking it was a low battery making the sound, the post said. It continued, and homeowners evacuated the home and met with firefighters.

After searching the house, crews found a hotspot in the bathroom ceiling and breached it. Firefighters say it was “clear” that there was a slow-burning fire throughout the trusses and supports in the roofline.

Crews say a lightning strike was a suspected cause.

Following this, a second crew went up on the roof and found the entry point of the lightning strike – which was directly above the bathroom, the post continued.

The department said the case serves as an important message about having working smoke detectors.

“The only indication was a smell of smoke. With the quick action of the homeowners to call 911, we were able to extinguish and contain it. If they continued to believe it was low battery, it may have been too late by the time HFD arrived.”