6 People Displaced After New Britain Fire

Six people are displaced after a fire in New Britain on Tuesday, and neighbors think lightning may have been to blame. 

Smoke poured out of the home on East Street, forcing those who live inside and nearby to scramble for an exit. 

There's extensive damage to the attic and third floor of the home. Neighbors say it's lightning that started it all, though fire officials are still investigating the cause. 

"(I heard a) loud bang. Sounded like a freight train," one resident inside the home, Jeff Fournier, said. 

Fournier lives on the second floor and said he didn't know what to make of the noise.

"I smelled smoke and I heard people down on the street saying that the house is on fire," Fournier said. 

Firefighters had to fight the fire during a storm that produced heavy rains and lightning. The storm brought intense rainfall and hail

"Quite a storm. Came out of nowhere really quick," neighbor, Scott Rector, said.

When the storm blew through New Britain, Rector thought for a moment lightning struck his home. 

"There was just a loud boom, instant flash and boom, and few seconds later the whole area filled up with smoke," Rector said. 

When New Britain firefighters arrived to the scene, rain poured and lightning flashed in the sky, making it tough and dangerous for emergency crews.

"The rain makes it more difficult to move and move our equipment," New Britain Fire Department Deputy Chief Paul Walsh said. "The guys did a great job and saved the building."

Walsh said no one was injured and everyone self-evacuated from the home. 

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