Lightning Likely Sparks Patterson, NY Fire, 3 Businesses Destroyed
PATTERSON, NY (WCBS 880) -- Three businesses went up in flames in Putnam County after a lightning bolt triggered a fire.
It was a ferocious storm as hot, white flashes of lightning streaked across the blackened sky Thursday night.
"Oh I though it was the end of the world. It was terrible, hail was coming down, rain was coming down sideways," said Fred Berdick.
WCBS 880's Sean Adams reports: Resident Says He Saw Lightning Strike That Likely Sparked Fire
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Berdick was stuck. He couldn't get to his repaving garage, but he could see the smoke and flames rising from his business as he sat on Route 22.
Lightning likely sparked the fire that devoured an adjacent furniture restoration shop.
Neighbor Dan Liptack says a mother and a couple of children we're trapped in an apartment above before being rescued by people nearby.
"They got ladders, they kicked the window out," said Liptack. "Actually a woman and several kids came out. It just smoked, smoked and then it eventually went up and burned down."
For others, it was a night in the dark. The storm tore off tree limbs and made a knotted mess of power lines.
Were you impacted by the severe weather? Let us know in our comments section below...
