Lightning strike damages Nova Scotia church
CLYDE RIVER, N.S. – A historic church in Clyde River, Shelburne County, N.S., sustained fire, smoke and water damage after its steeple was struck by lightning on July 9.
St. Matthew’s United Church, located on Highway 103, has been a landmark since 1875.
Shelburne fire Chief Darrell Locke said the call came in at 8:42 a.m.
“We responded and en route we called for help from the Island Barrington Passage Fire Department (IBPFD) and the Barrington Port LaTour Fire Department,” he said.
“On our arrival, the top 25 feet or so of the steeple was heavily involved in fire. We applied an exterior deck gun nozzle on to the fire and knocked it down initially. Shortly thereafter our partners arrived and we began both an interior and exterior attack on the fire so we were able to keep it in the steeple only. There was no fire that came down in the main body of the church, there was however substantial water that came down.”
Locke said the new ladder truck recently acquired by the IBPFD was extremely useful in fighting the fire.
“The ladder truck, that saved a lot of work,” he said.
“From the inside we were only able to get so far up into the steeple because as the debris was burning off and falling down, there are trap doors in every different level of that steeple and when we got to the top there was enough debris that had fallen down that we couldn’t get that top trap door open. It was very, very helpful to have that piece of equipment on scene.”
Firefighters were on the scene for about three hours, said Locke.
The fire damage was contained to the steeple. There were no injuries.
The building is insured. Locke said there is nothing suspicious about the fire.
“The building was locked and secured. There was no reason other than lightning for that steeple to ignite.”