Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
The early-morning Monday storm woke Judy Archibald as she was in bed. She shuddered as thunder rumbled through her Middletown Township neighborhood.
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And then it hit. BOOM.
The flash from the lightning bolt that pulverized one of her tall evergreen trees was bright enough that she saw it as her eyes were closed.
The strike blew the tree apart, throwing pieces of wood in every direction and sending electricity surging through her shed and nearby home.
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The surge caused outlets and wires to shoot with such force they flew several feet away and even through the outside wall of her home, Archibald said.
Within no time, Archibald began smelling smoke and something burning.
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Firefighters from the Parkland, Penndel, and Langhorne-Middletown fire companies rushed to Archibald’s home on Summit Avenue.
Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company Chief Frank Farry said he heard the strike from his house in Langhorne Borough less than a quarter mile away.
“He told me he heard it and turned his scanner on because he knew it hit something,” Archibald said.
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Firefighters rushed to the scene at 4:41 a.m. and didn’t find flames, but they found damage from the tree and backfed electrical system, Farry said.
The chief said there were no injuries.
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For Archibald, Monday afternoon was spent cleaning up and getting an electrical contractor to examine the extent of the damage.
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