Lightning caused a house fire in Holmdel as storms hit the region on Wednesday, police said.
The fire happened at 6:32 p.m. when Holmdel Police Dispatch was advised of a structure fire at a residence on Galloping Hill Road. The resident reported a heavy smoke condition in the residence after a lightning strike.
Holmdel Fire Department immediately responded and located a fire behind the wall in the basement of the residence. The fire was contained to the wall in the basement and extinguished, police said.
The investigation showed that lightning struck a tree on the property and traveled to the base where it encountered a landscape electrical outlet. The lightning traveled through the outlet and into the residence, causing the fire, police said.