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Fifteen people in four families, including five children, were displaced following the fire, American Red Cross representatives said. Roughly 80 firefighters from the Mount Kisco, Bedford Hills and Chappaqua fire departments, fought the fire and reserves from Millwood and Yorktown were on standby, said Fire Chief Tom Jackson.
"We've determined that it was caused by a lightning strike during the thunderstorms," Jackson said, adding that the old building did not have a lightning rod. "Our investigators looked at the scene and didn't find any faulty electrical equipment or anything else that would have led them to believe it was anything but a lightning strike."
Several residents in the three-story apartment/retail building on 163 Lexington Ave. were at home at the time of the fire.
"Most of the families were home and the American Red Cross was able to help many of the people find places to stay," Jackson said. "Thankfully no one was injured and everyone made it out safely."
Jackson added that there were no estimates as to the damage caused but noted that several walls were burned inside the building.
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