Two St. Charles firefighters were hurt battling a Wednesday evening fire caused by a lightning strike from a severe storm that passed through the area, officials said.
Firefighters were called around 7 p.m. to a townhouse complex on the 100 block of Birch Lane after neighbors reported smoke, St. Charles Fire Department officials said in a news release.
Fire and smoke were showing from the two-story, multifamily building when firefighters arrived, according to the release.
No residents were inside the building by the time firefighters got to the scene. Officials said the fire was able to spread because no one was home at the time to report the fire, according to the release.
Firefighters entered two units to attack the fire in the attic and the second floor and prevented the fire from spreading within the building, officials said.
Two townhomes were severely damaged as a result of the fire, with damage estimated at more than $700,000.
The two firefighters injured were taken to a hospital where they were treated and released.