Lightning Strike May be Cause to Rodeo Drive Fire

Fire Marshal Bill Davin estimates that extensive fire and smoke from an early morning blaze on Wednesday caused close to $80,000 in damage to a home at 27 Rodeo Drive.

Davin believes the fire may have been caused by a lightning strike. However, he said, it is still early in the investigation.

Stepney firefighters responded to an alarm at the house at 6:03 a.m. and the first units to arrive saw smoke. They broke in to find the origin of the fire, which was in the basement, according to Stepney Fire Chief Michael Klemish.

The family was not home at the time, officials said.

Klemish said the fire spread through the family room to the first floor, but he believes firefighters were able to contain it to the first floor.

Stepney firefighters, assisted by units from Monroe, Stevenson and Long Hill, were able to extinguish the fire within 20 minutes, Davin said.

After 9 a.m., firefighters were still involved in an overhaul operation in which insulation is ripped out and thermal imaging cameras are used to check for heat inside walls and joists in the basement.