Lightning blamed for West Chester fire

Investigators said an apparent lightning strike sparked a blaze that displaced a family of four in West Chester this morning.

Crews responded to a residence in the 800 block of East Locust Lane in West Chester at 6:44 a.m., said Patty Mains, a spokeswoman for Chester County's Department of Emergency Services.

By 11 a.m., the scene was cleared, Mains said. She said the Red Cross is providing assistance to a family of four - two adults and two teeenagers - who lived in the home and were not injured. Damage was estimated at $300,000, Mains said.