Fire sparks at business; lightning likely cause

CANFIELD -- Lightning is the apparent cause of a fire that damaged a Starr's Center Drive business Tuesday evening.
The fire at Reali, Giampetro & amp; Scott, a firm of certified public accountants, started about 9 p.m., said Chief Robert Tieche of the Cardinal Joint Fire District.
An exact damage amount hasn't been determined, but the chief expects it to exceed $100,000.
A Mahoning County deputy sheriff responded to an alarm drop at a business next door to the fire and didn't detect any problems. As the deputy was driving away, he saw flames shooting out of the office building roof, the chief said.
That's what led Tieche to conclude that lightning caused the fire.
The east side of the building sustained smoke and water damage. Flames started in an unoccupied area of the west side roof causing the building's trusses to fail and the blaze spread to the spaces below.
"There's a lot of interior damage," Tieche said.