According to local news reports, the Choate Rosemary Hall in Wallingford was struck by lightning and caught fire during a severe thunderstorm on Monday night, leading to an evacuation and a fire department response.

The fire was contained within an hour, and no injuries were reported. Credit goes to firefighters who got the blaze under control in precarious conditions. According to officials, the rain caused the roof to become slippery, leading to additional difficulties when fighting a highly-situated fire; however, there were no incidents and the fire was contained with relatively little damage.

Students and faculty that lived in the building have been placed in temporary housing; it remains to be seen whether the building will be repaired in time to resume occupancy for the 2019-2020 academic year.

In the aftermath of the fire, Eagle Rivet Roof Service Corp. was brought in to examine the damage and assess the cost and timeline of repairs.

Choate is a co-ed private school in Wallingford, CT.