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Lightning Strikes Home, Tree Hits House During Thursday Storms

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By

Tom Sofield

Firefighters and police in Lower Bucks County were busy Thursday night when a line of thunderstorms rolled through the area.

From downed wires and trees to lightning strikes, crews were busy between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.

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Langhorne-Middletown Fire Chief Frank Farry said his company handled about 12 calls in the three hours period. The calls were coming so fast during some periods that fire crews from nearby companies were dispatched to assist.

A tree fell and damaged a house on Shadybrook Road in the Levittown section of Middletown around 8:15 p.m. Middletown Fire Inspector Ken Richards said the tree took out a PECO line and a branch stabbed through the wall of the occupied living room. The force of the branch coming through the wall broke water pipes in the house and knocked over a piano.

A home on Stone Brook Court in Middletown was hit by lightning around 8 p.m. Farry said crews checked to see if the lightning caused a fire in the house.

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Langhorne-Yardley Road in Middletown was closed into late Friday night due to downed wires and a transformer, which caused a large explosion and fire.

Traffic lights throughout the area were disrupted by power outages caused by the storm.

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PECO officials say a couple thousands people in Lower Bucks County are without power following the storm.

 

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Tom Sofield

Tom Sofield

Tom Sofield has covered news in Bucks County for 16 years for both newspaper and online publications. Tom’s reporting has appeared locally, nationally, and internationally across several mediums. He is proud to report on news in the county where he lives and to have created a reliable publication that the community deserves.