Lightning started the fire at a house in Old Lyme, according to officials.
The fire chief said lightning struck a tree on Talcott Farm Road around 4 a.m. Wednesday and traveled underground through the wires to a house, setting the basement on fire.
The fire then spread through the house. A boat caught fire as well.
Fire chief Tom Risom said he saw heavy fire coming from the basement door. The moment he stepped inside, his carbon monoxide sense started sounding.
“If you get into an area where you can’t see or smell anything, they’ll tell you you’re in a bad situation. They went off immediately when I entered the house and I said, ‘We’re out of here,’ and I physically took him out of the house,” Risom said.
The couple who lives in the home is OK, officials said, but they might have to stay someone else temporarily because the entire house filled with smoke.
Local officials are checking on structural issues.
Local
Mutual aid was called in from Essex and Old Saybrook.
