It was about 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon when Tanya Paesano got a call she never thought she would receive.
Paesano’s neighbors called her to let her know the place she’s called home for the past 30 years was engulfed in flames.
“It was hard to believe. It was so bizarre,” said Paesano, of her reaction when she heard the news. “You never expect it to happen to you, this is stuff that happens to other people. But it was totally bizarre.”
The fire at their Sylvester Drive home in Long Pond destroyed most of the second story. According to Dan Paesano, Tanya’s husband, fire marshals informed them the blaze began due to a lightning strike in the woods nearby. The lightning traveled through the ground and to a copper pipe, containing propane, which led into the home and ignited the fire.