A lightning strike caused a fire at a Vienna, Virginia, church early Wednesday.
Just after 6 a.m., first responders arrived in the 1000 block of Country Club Drive for a building fire, Fairfax County Fire and Rescue said in a statement Thursday.
A passerby called 911 after smelling smoke and hearing the fire alarm.
There was no one in the one-story church at the time, fire officials said, and smoke was seen coming out of the roof. The fire was kept to the attic. No one was injured or displaced.
Investigators found that the fire was natural and started in the attic; it was caused “by a lightning strike to the metal flashing of the skylight,” fire officials said.
They estimated the fire caused about $55,000 worth of damage.
The Arlington County Fire Department also helped with the response.
The damage came during a stormy Wednesday in the D.C. region. Elsewhere in the early hours, a Manassas Park neighborhood saw serious road damage after heavy rains.
