Firewatch RESIDENTIAL SOUTH DAKOTA One injured when lightning strike starts attic fire A lightning strike was blamed for starting a fire in a multi-unit apartment building that left one tenant with smoke inhalation injuries and caused an estimated $275,000 in damage. Firefighters were dispatched to a report of a structure fire following multiple calls to 911 at 6:45 p.m. Crews reported heavy smoke and flames showing from the building's attic as they arrived at the scene. Residents waiting outside informed crews that the third floor of the building had been evacuated, but crews radioed a request for at least two police units to assist with further evacuations and to control the flow of traffic. Crews positioned a hose line while a truck 70 | NFPA JOURNAL * M A Y / J U N E 2 0 1 7 company set up a ladder pipe to start attacking fire on the roof. After crews were informed that a resident on the second floor needed to be rescued, a ladder was raised to a balcony opening and crews brought down a female resident who was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation. A male resident was also treated for smoke inhalation and was transported by ambulance to the hospital. Firefighters were able to contain the fire to the attic space, but news reports indicated that all residents were displaced by the fire. The local chapter of the Red Cross provided assistance to displaced residents. The fire was first detected when a tenant spotted fire in the ceiling above an interior stairway. Two residents of the complex were reported to have run from door to door to alert their neighbors of the need to evacuate. Investigators determined that the fire started in the attic after lightning struck the roof. Lightning reports verified three cloud-to-ground strikes at coordinates within the confines of the building at 6:36 p.m., just minutes before the fire was reported. The structure was equipped with hardwired smoke alarms in bedrooms and hallways and heat detectors in the attic, as well as a wet-pipe automatic sprinkler system. However, investigators indicated that the alarms failed to activate because static electricity from the strike disabled heat detection equipment located in the attic, which sent trouble signals to the alarm monitoring company. A balcony sprinkler successfully operated after burning material dropped from the roofline, preventing the fire from spreading into the unit. Smoke alarms inside the units began to sound as residents opened their doors. The apartment building was composed of 17 units on three stories. The building was constructed with a wood