Leicester senior housing home evacuated after lightning strike

LEICESTER – Thunderstorms erupted over Leicester late Friday afternoon. Rain blew sideways and the sky lit up.

Leicester native Kate Fitzpatrick was passing by her window when she saw a flash of light.

“I just saw this really huge flash of lightning and this incredible thunder,” said Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick knew the lightning hit something. What she didn’t realize was that it happened to be the roof of her senior housing complex in Leicester. Moments later she was evacuated.

“They banged on my door yelling get out, get out because there’s a fire on the roof,” she said.

Back in November, Kate and over 40 of her neighbors were forced out after a fire in their building next door. Many had resettled just across the road in another building earlier this year.

“And now we have another fire,” said Fitzpatrick.

Leicester Fire Chief Michael Dupuis told Boston 25 the storm caused damage throughout the town.

“Lightning just about everywhere, we had multiple trees down,” said Dupuis.

Amid the chaos of the evacuation, a frantic Mary Dolan was separated from her two 18-year-old Shit Tzus.

“That’s all I kept thinking of - what I can do,” said Dolan.

When Dolan was reunited with the dogs later in the day, she burst into tears.

Together with her dogs, Dolan was all smiles but uncertain of what lies ahead as she and more than 40 others will likely end up in a hotel again while repairs are made.

“We were in a hotel in Auburn from November until New Year’s,” said Fitzpatrick.

The Fire Chief says no injuries were reported from the residents or firefighters.

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