Lightning Strike Sets Pittsfield Church On Fire; Kitchen Fire At Patrick’s Pub

Two fires in Pittsfield had crews working hard on Sunday. Deputy Chief Dan Garner was on "Slater and Marjo In The Morning" on Monday to discuss what happened.

The first call came in at 9:15 a.m. The Pittsfield Fire Department responded to Patrick's Pub on Bank Row for a fire alarm activation.

Upon arrival, crews found light smoke with water flowing in the kitchen area. The small fire had started in a corner in the kitchen near the exit. The fire was extinguished by the sprinkler system.

Spontaneous combustion was deemed cause as Deputy Chief Dan Garner explains below.

The second call came in around 7:50 p.m. at Price Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church on Linden Street.

The call originally came in as a chimney fire; however, once crews got there it was determined that lightning had struck the church's steeple.

The fire was extinguished within 45 minutes. The Church steeple was essentially an “ornamental” design and not part of the Church’s main foundational support structure. The top portion of the steeple sustained heavy fire damage.

Firefighters removed the damaged portion of the steeple to ensure full extinguishment. Eyewitness reports verified fire cause was due to a lightning strike. At the time leading up to this incident the center of the city had experienced a localized microburst thunder/lightning storm. -D. Garner

No injuries were reported in either fire.