Selden house fire likely caused by lightning strike, Brookhaven official says

Lightning likely struck the roof of a Selden home, sparking a powerful pre-dawn fire Saturday that also engulfed much of the second floor, a Brookhaven spokesman said.

Firefighters were dispatched to the blaze on Parkwood Drive at about 4:26 a.m., the spokesman, Jack Krieger, said by text.

"The lone occupant escaped without injury," Krieger said. "Two cats were removed safely from the house."

There was "significant smoke and water damage throughout the two-story, single-family home," Krieger said.