Lightning caused computer equipment to short out which caused a fire that damaged an Arkansas City house Wednesday evening. No one was injured.
The lightning either struck the house at 813 S. Seventh St. or near-by about 8:20 p.m., Ark City Fire Chief Randy Leach said. The fire was in an upstairs bedroom with the computer and computer table. Heavy black smoke was a problem for firefighters and left a layer of soot.
“The fire was out very quickly,” Leach said. “We used very little water. It was mostly smoke damage. There will be some cleaning to do to the house.”
The house is occupied by Helen O’Connor. Leach estimated damage at $1,500.
“The lightning was pretty heavy last night,” he said.
Firefighters were out earlier in the day to extinguish a grass fire at U.S. 166 and Cowley 1 after lightning set the grass on fire.
Winfield firefighters assisted with the house fire in Ark City but weren’t called out for any weather-related calls in the Winfield area. Power outages were reported in both Winfield and?Arkansas City. The outage in Winfield occurred after lightning hit near the?Winfield Fairground.
Most customers were without power for about an hour, according to Bob Porter, director of the electric and water utility departments in Winfield. Wal-Mart and Dillons were also affected by the Winfield outage.
The area was under a severe thunderstorm watch and later a flash flood watch Wednesday. Arlan Anglemeyer, official National Weather Service observer, reported .56 inches of rain during the 24 hour period ending at 6 a.m. today north of Winfield.
The Ark City Police Department recorded .59 inches Wednesday night.
Cowley County Emergency Manager Brian Stone said his office received no reports of damage or flooding. He also cautioned there is a moderate risk for severe thunderstorms for portions of central and south central Kansas this afternoon and tonight.
Any thunderstorm that can develop will rapidly become severe with large hail up to golf ball size and damaging winds to 60 miles an hour. Upper level wind patterns also suggest that a few tornadoes are also possible.
The primary area of concern will initially be west of I-35 but the threat will spread across the entire area during the evening hours, the National Weather Service reported.
Heavy rainfall is also a concern with the thunderstorms, especially in areas that received substantial amounts of rainfall on?Wednesday. The rivers north of Cowley County flow southerly and flooding north of here can cause flooding problems in this area.
Spotters may be needed late this afternoon into the evening hours across the weather, according to the National Weather Service.
