Fire at Ohio school blamed on lightning strike

MASON, Ohio (AP) — Lightning from heavy thunderstorms is blamed for a fire in southwest Ohio that damaged the roof on a school.

Authorities say the Mason Early Childhood Center was struck Sunday afternoon, and it took firefighters several hours to put out the smoldering fire. One firefighter was checked out at a hospital after suffering heat exhaustion.

Classes are not in session at the school, but the building was to have been the site of a teachers’ conference today.

The storms also knocked out power to thousands of residents in the region. Duke Energy said about 3,500 customers were without electricity for a time.

The National Weather Service said rainfall ranged from about an inch in Cincinnati to more than 2 inches in Butler County.