Lightning caused a fire at a home in Monroe on Wednesday night, according to the Monroe Volunteer Fire Department.
Firefighters responded to a home on Williamsburg Drive shortly before midnight, at the height of heavy rain and thunder, to put out a fire in a basement.
The fire department said a family with young children had gotten out safely.
Investigators determined that lightning struck a tree in the backyard, followed a path into the home and sparked a fire in the basement, according to the fire department.
Get top local stories in Connecticut delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Connecticut's News Headlines newsletter.
Three dozen firefighters contained the fire to the basement, but the residents could not return overnight because of smoke and fire damage.
No one was injured.
Local
The home had working smoke alarms and those, as well as a quick evacuation and notification to 911, and closing the doors near the area where the fire started all helped to mitigate the damage.
