MONSON -- Lightning hit or damaged at least three buildings in Western Massachusetts Tuesday afternoon, including one bolt that took out Monson's 911 system when it hit the town hall and police department.
Lightning hit the building at 110 Main St. about 4:30 p.m. Western Mass News reported several hours later that the 911 line has since been restored.
Shortly before the Monson strike, lightning started a fire that damaged a house in Wilbraham.
Fire Capt. Daniel Corliss told WWLP the lightning hit a tree at 627 Springfield St. The charge traveled from the tree to a metal fence and then to the home, damaging its siding and the wood behind it from the ground to the attic.
A firefighter suffered a minor leg injury, Corliss said.
A similar strike occurred about an hour before in Agawam at 238 River Road. Firefighters said the charge traveled from a metal fence to the home there, causing minor damage.
The storm brought widespread street flooding to the region.