Hopewell Valley volunteer fire companies responded to two back-to-back house fires that investigators believe may have been related to the severe weather that rolled through Mercer County around 5 p.m. May 29.
The first call came in at 5:33 p.m. for a possible house fire on Valley Road, according to the Hopewell Township Police Department.
Firefighters from the Union Fire Company determined that the house may have been struck by lightning, which damaged the house’s electrical system, police said. The house also suffered minor smoke damage.
The Union Fire Company was assisted by the Pennington Fire Company, the Hopewell Fire Company, the West Amwell Fire Department, the Lambertville Fire Departtment, the Upper Makefield (Pa.) Fire Department and Hopewell Valley Emergency Services.
Less than 20 minutes later at 5:50 p.m., the Pennington Fire Company was dispatched to Honey Brook Drive for a possible house fire, police said.
When the firefighters arrived, they found a fire in the garage which they quickly extinguished. The Pennington Fire Company was assisted by numerous fire companies in putting out the fire, which caused moderate smoke and water damage, police said.
The cause of the fires is under investigation by the Hopewell Township Police Department and the Hopewell Valley Emergency Services unit.