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With much needed rain on Tuesday, August 23, 2022, came a lightning strike around 5 p.m. in the vicinity of the 700 block of High Street in Westwood. The lightning caused a fire alarm to sound at one business and fire alarms to experience malfunctioning and problems at other businesses in the area, reported Westwood Firefighters Local 1994 on its Facebook page.
Pictures posted on the Facebook page show a Westwood Fire Department engine parked alongside the front of Comella's Restaurant, with a ladder extending from the engine to the cupola set above the building's second floor.
Firefighters found a "smoke condition and charring inside the cupola" and "smoke on the exterior of the cupola as well." Westwood Firefighters Local 1994 noted that there were reports that a weathervane had been struck by lightning.
Westwood Firefighters Local 1994 reported that firefighters used a thermal imager and water can to address hot spots. The situation was resolved in around an hour.
The cost of $27,000 could have been avoided if the tax payers were notified about the idea of taking the WLT to court and it was discussed at a regular town meeting. Especially when a town takes the unusual step of taking its own land trust to court.
Patchy rain nearby, with a high of 48 and low of 30 degrees. Freezing fog for the morning, overcast during the afternoon, freezing fog overnight.