Lightning strike may have caused Darien house fire

A lightning strike may have caused a house fire Tuesday in west suburban Darien that caused roughly $150,000 in damage.

Firefighters were called to the 1500 block of Pineview Court at 7:56 p.m. and found heavy fire coming out of the attic and a second-floor window, according to a statement from the Darien-Woodridge Fire District.

Everyone inside made it out of the home safely, after neighbors alerted them to the fire, fire officials said. Most of the fire was extinguished within 20 minutes.

Authorities believe lightning from a strong line of heavy thunderstorms sparked the fire, officials said.

Between 1 and 3 inches of rain fell in an hour across parts of the Chicago area before the storms tapered off Tuesday night., according to the National Weather Service. A series of tornado, severe storm and flash flood warnings were issued for most of northern Illinois.

Damage to the home was estimated at $150,000, and the structure is not inhabitable, the fire department said.