A severe thunderstorm last Wednesday night stalled cars, flooded dorms and caused two houses in the College Park area to catch fire amid the heavy rain and lightning.
Authorities believe lightning ignited a fire in the attic of a home in the 6800 block of Randolph Street in Landover Hills, killing a cat, injuring a firefighter and causing an estimated $40,000 in damage, according to a Prince George's County Fire Department press release.
The firefighter's injuries were minor, but caution tape now surrounds the property and blackened, loosened siding hangs from the outside of the home.
Lightning also struck a home in the 4300 block of Van Buren Street in University Park, causing $10,000 in damage, the press release stated.
Families living in both homes were temporarily displaced by the fires, said Mark Brady, Prince George's County Fire Department spokesman. He added the families did not suffer any injuries.
Meanwhile, other areas on- and off- campus suffered damage. The heavy rains soaked the basement of McKeldin Library according to Desider Vikor, the library's dean. Flash floods caused about a dozen vehicles, including five in the intersection of Route 1 and Guilford Road, to stall in the high water, prompting firefighters to assist drivers in reaching higher ground, the press release said. The 5200 block of Paint Branch Parkway was closed temporarily due to the floods as well.
Dispatchers at the county Public Safety Communications Center, who typically receive about 30 calls in a two-hour period, fielded 200 calls for firefighter and paramedic assistance between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. last Wednesday, the press release stated.
On Thursday, university facilities workers began clearing the wreckage.
"Campus work control and the library staff responded very quickly," Vikor said. Work control vacuumed up all the water and cleared the drains and window wells the day after the flood. The library staff finished clearing up the area within 24 hours.
"No materials in our collections were affected," Vikor said.
Multiple dorms were affected by the rain. The storm flooded dorms across the South Hill Community, including Frederick, Charles, Montgomery and Allegany halls, according to Terry Perkins, assistant director of facilities maintenance.
Perkins said he is "not envisioning any huge costs" for repairs.
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