A man suffered minor injuries and three buildings sustained damage after officials said all four were struck by lightning during a powerful storm that made its way through the region Monday afternoon.
Emergency officials in Westerly responded to the first three calls in less than an hour Monday afternoon, the first coming in as lightning and thunder began to batter the greater Westerly area.
"We had several calls come in, one after another, and each was related to lightning," said Police Chief Shawn Lacey. "We had a half-dozen strikes, and power was down, which led to officers being assigned to direct traffic at routes 1 and 78."
The calls each came in consecutively beginning around 2:45 p.m. according to dispatch records. Emergency medical responders were called to a home along Chin Hill Road in the Avondale section of town for reports of a man struck by lightning.