Fire destroys Townsend home

A house was destroyed by fire after a lightning strike early Sunday morning in Townsend.

A news release from the Townsend Fire Department indicated that the Nicolet Fire District was dispatched to the 1700 block of Dencur Lane in Townsend around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. When crews arrived they found the single-story home fully engulfed, and a nearby shed also was starting to catch fire.

Townsend Engine 2911 and Lakewood Engine 2511 dropped three lines and made an initial quick exterior attack, and they were able to bring the blaze under control within a half-hour.

Tenders from Lakewood, Townsend, Crooked Lake , Doty Mountain, and Riverview and one ambulance from Lakewood/Townsend 4011 also responded.

Wisconsin Public Service arrived on scene and noticed that an electric box near the road was blown apart. The WPS crew confirmed that the home was struck by lightning and back-fed the energy to the electric panel.

All units were cleared by 5:30 a.m., with Townsend Fire staying on-scene for few more hours to check for hot spots. No injuries to fire crews or civilians were reported.