Lightning sparks 3 house fires in Joliet

JOLIET, Ill. - Firefighters in Joliet responded to three separate lightning-sparked attic fires within the span of about an hour on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Joliet lightning fires

What we know:

The first fire broke out around 3:39 p.m. in the attic of a two-story single-family home in the 2700 block of Hideaway Court. Crews arrived within three minutes and quickly contained the blaze. The residents had evacuated before firefighters arrived, and no injuries were reported.

About an hour later, around 4:49 p.m., firefighters were called to the 1200 block of Riverview Drive for another attic fire sparked by a lightning strike at a two-story multifamily townhome. Residents had already evacuated, and crews managed to contain the fire, though a neighboring unit sustained smoke and water damage.

While still on the scene, firefighters noticed smoke coming from the roof of a nearby single-family home at 1204 Riverview Drive. Crews extinguished a third attic fire there, which also caused smoke and water damage.

Fire crews from multiple Joliet stations — including Stations 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 — responded to the incidents. No injuries or fatalities were reported among residents or firefighters. Each scene was secured within about an hour, according to the Joliet Fire Department.