Lightning reportedly strikes housing authority office

SAN JUAN — Families looking for public housing assistance in the area will now have to go to McAllen after lightning reportedly struck the Hidalgo County Housing Authority Office here Monday.

Built in 1990, the office addresses the housing needs of low-income families. It is surrounded by 20 units managed by the office, but none of those homes were in danger after the building’s roof caught fire, said Mike Lopez, the housing authority’s executive director.

The San Juan Fire Department responded about 3 p.m. Monday to a structure fire at Villa San Juanita Rutledge, 1200 N. Standard Ave.

According to the incident report, smoke was coming from the roof when firefighters arrived. They used a 75-foot ladder and a chainsaw to make a 4-by-4 foot ventilation cut on the roof so firefighters could see when entering the building.

Lopez said fire officials told him lightning had probably started the fire.

“Luckily, no one was inside the building,” he said.

The fire was concentrated mainly in the lobby, bathroom and community room, Lopez said. Files and computers located in the north part of the building were not damaged.

“It’s mostly water damage,” Lopez said, referring to the rain and the water used to put out the fire.

He said the building has been sealed, and the housing authority is waiting for the insurance company to assess the damage.

In the interim, anyone seeking housing assistance should go to the agency’s McAllen office at 501 E. Jasmine Ave.

____

Naxiely Lopez covers PSJA and general assignments for The Monitor. She can be reached at 683-4434.