KATU News Story

A quick moving thunderstorm brought with it a lightning strike into a large tree that damaged two Aloha homes. At approximately 11:15am this morning, Hillsboro Fire & Rescue and Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue crews were dispatched to a call at 18705 SW Hennig Court in Aloha. When the first engine from Hillsboro Fire Station 6 arrived, they found a large multi-trunked tree fractured with limbs damaging two neighboring homes. From the initial assessment, one home had a tree limb fall onto a central portion of the living space while the other home had a tree limb that struck the side of the home. Crews from Hillsboro Fire Station 6 and Tualatin Valley Fire Station 67 confirmed that everyone had evacuated the homes safely. Crews turned off all the utilities to both homes as a safety precaution. The remaining portion of the tree showed significant signs of damage so residents and crews remained outside both homes. A professional tree service was brought in to assess and mitigate the potential risk the remaining tree limbs presented. No injuries were reported and no fire resulted from the lightning strike.

Residents were home at the time of the incident but no one was injured. One family will seek temporary housing at a nearby hotel while the other family elected to stay in their home once it is safe to re-enter.

Given the location of the home geographically, crews from Hillsboro Fire & Rescue responded with crews from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. TVF&R Public Information Officer Piseth Pich commented, “This is a great example of the excellent working relationship we have with Hillsboro Fire & Rescue to support each other through mutual aid and provide all of our citizens with the reliable and professional response they expect.”

Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue encourages everyone to check and maintain their home emergency kits in case of weather-related emergencies. For more information about emergency kits and being prepared, please visit our Safety & Education section of our website.