OKEECHOBEE — A severe Monday night storm caused several fires in Okeechobee according to Okeechobee County Fire Rescue.

Lightning struck in the southwest section of town and caused fires at:

• 12800 HWY 70 W,
• 6688 SW 21st Pkwy,
• 3995 SW 40th Ave.
• 7950 HWY 78 W.

“Luckily, they were less than an acre/limited to a few trees and extinguished by the rain,” stated Deputy Fire Marshal Jessica Sasser.

Local residents reported several small brush fires ignited by lightning strikes that were extinguished by rainfall.

In the southwest section of the county, a power pole caught fire. About 1,600 FPL customers lost power for several hours until the fire was extingished and the lines repaired.

Earlier in the week, the crews fought two structure fires.

• The first took place on May 11 just after 4 a.m. at 11555 U.S. 441 Southeast. When the team arrived, they were able to extinguish the fire in the 20’x30’ building and perform salvage and overhaul before leaving the scene at 5:45 a.m. The cause of the fire remains under investigation. The loss was estimated at $10,000.
• The second fire took place on the same day just before midnight at 2635 Northwest 63^rd When the team arrived, they found a small shed approximately 20’x20’ with heavy fire coming from the roof and out the front door. The cause of the fire was determined to be unintentional. The loss was estimated at $15,000.

Between May 7 and May 13, OCFR responded to 113 EMS, 16 smoke or fire, 10 motor vehicle accidents, seven dispatch and cancel and seven miscellaneous calls.