Lightning Strike Probable Cause of Structure Fire
On Sunday, July 30, 2023, at 10:00 p.m., the Lee's Summit Fire Department responded to a structure fire in the 2500 Block of NW Clifford Road. The caller reported a fire from the roof of a detached shop.
When crews arrived, the roof of the one-and-a-half-story detached shop with an upstairs apartment was engulfed in flames and was beginning to collapse. The owner confirmed that the shop was unoccupied, and no one lived in the apartment. Crews extinguished the fire from a defensive position outside the building. Firefighters protected a travel trailer parked next to the building until the owner could move it away without any damage. The fire was under control by 10:56 p.m.
A firefighter taken by ambulance was treated and released at an area hospital.
The fire caused extensive damage to the building. The probable cause was a lightning strike from the storm moving through the area.