Lightning may have caused Marlborough house fire, official says

As thunderstorms barreled across the region Saturday night, lightning may have set a house on fire in Marlborough, a fire official said.

“We are heavily leaning towards a lightning strike,” Battalion Chief Brian LaCroix said by telephone Saturday night.

LaCroix said the department was alerted to a structural fire at 26 South St. around 6:50 p.m. When firefighters arrived on scene they were met with “heavy smoke” coming from the rear of the home, LaCroix said.

The fire was contained to the basement before it was extinguished.

LaCroix said a woman, her mother and a dog escaped from the two-story colonial home by the time firefighters arrived.

Two dogs were later pulled from the home and were unharmed.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

No further information was available.