BRIGHTON — The respite from heavy rain, thunder and lightning didn’t last very long.
Two severe thunderstorms roared through Brighton Tuesday night, knocking down trees, knocking out power and causing at least one house to catch fire near downtown Brighton.
The fire, which was in the 100 block of North Fifth Avenue, was caused by lightning. One witness said a lightning bolt struck a tree, which fell into the house and started the fire. There were no immediate reports of injuries. Fire Chief Mark Bodane said the damage “was not significant.”
Moments before that, Brighton police and fire crews helped a woman get out of her car near Fourth Avenue and Bromley Lane after a tree fell on the vehicle. There were no immediate reports of injuries. The water also ponded on parts of Riverdale Golf Course.
The second storm, which hit downtown Brighton shortly before 6 p.m., knocked out electricity to several homes and businesses, not to mention traffic lights. One-inch diameter hail was reported in parts of Brighton, according to the National Weather Service.
The rain also left standing water in many sections of town. Motorists had a tough time getting through the area around Seventh Avenue and Bridge Street for a time. To the north, undercarriages of cars got a free bath around Seventh Avenue and Longspeak Street, thanks to several inches of standing water. Tornado sirens sounded east of downtown, but no tornadoes were spotted.
The culprit was the same weather system that was stuck in the area last week. It paid a visit to the mountains over the weekend but moved back across the Front Range Tuesday and could stay in place Wednesday.
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