A strong thunderstorm hit the Four Corners area on Tuesday, producing lightning that struck a house in central Cortez.
The lightning ignited a fire at 502 S. Madison St. about 7 a.m., but firefighters quickly extinguished the blaze.
The fire spread into the attic at the house, Fire Chief Jeff Vandevoorde said.
A man and woman evacuated the house safely along with their child, he said.
“We got it out pretty quick,” Vandevoorde said.
The department sent an engine and ladder truck and eight firefighters, he said.
They cleared the scene by about 8:30 a.m., he added.
A lightning strike may have hit a tree in front of the home, but the tree did not damage the house, he said.
The department also received a call about lightning striking a tree on Road 21 during the morning storm, Vandevoorde said.
The Lewis-Arriola Fire District also responded to several storm-related damage calls, he said. There were no reports of flooding in the area, he said.
Heavy rain and hail began falling in the Cortez area about 6:30 a.m. Monday.
Cortez meteorologist Jim Andrus said about 0.66 inches of rain fell during the entire storm, 82 percent of the average monthly rainfall for the area. The hail he measured ranged from pea- to marble-size, he said, which was “not big enough to do any damage.”
The weather service called sunny skies through Sunday, with highs in the lower 70s.
