FORKS — A lightning storm on the West End earlier this week put the Forks radio stations off the air and caused an electrical outage that affected more than 3,000 customers and led to a house fire.
Barry Thomas was enjoying the heat from his wood-burning furnace in his home at 1246 Moriarty Road near LaPush when lightning struck a transformer at about 5 p.m. Wednesday and he lost power, said Clallam County Fire District No. 6 Chief Jeff Baysinger.
Started in chimney
Because the circulation control for the furnace was controlled by electricity, the furnace overheated, Baysinger said.
“There was no air to move the heat, so the fire started as a chimney fire,” Baysinger said.
No one was hurt, but the house was “a total loss,” Baysinger said.
“It burnt to the ground.”
About 3,700 other Clallam County Public Utility District customers also experienced the outage Wednesday night, said Mike Howe, spokesman for the district.
Electrical power was restored to most by Thursday afternoon, Howe said.
The outage stretched from Beaver to Forks to Oil City, he said.
Substation hit
At least one substation was affected by the bolt that hit the transformer.
Two trucks from Clallam County Fire District No. 6 and one from District No. 1 fought the fire on Moriarty Road from a little after 5 p.m. to about 10:30 p.m., he said.
Thomas, who owns a construction company in Forks, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
His mother, Helen Thomas, said he was at the house evaluating the damage then.
Radio station
Forks radio stations KBDB-FM 96.7/KBIS-AM 1490 were struck by lightning and silenced, said Forks Mayor Bryon Monohon.
“We don’t know when it hit their tower,” Monohon said.
“It is out indefinitely until they can see how to get it fixed or if it can be fixed.”
Several voice mail messages left requesting comment from the manager of the station were not answered Thursday.
Monohon said the electrical storm was unusual for the area.
“We had quite a few ground shots,” he said.
Equipment in the city of Forks water system building next door also was reported as damaged by lightning.
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Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or at paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.