After all the flooding this spring, a fire was the last thing anyone in Bradford expected. However, thanks to the bolt of lightening that struck the Richardson Building on Main Street, the building caught fire in the middle of a thunderstorm on April 11.
Most residents believed that it was a propane tank explosion, but the reality was that the lightening strike, combined with old wires in the attic that were burned off from the strike, contributed to fire on the third floor. The firefighters managed to contain the fire between the attic and third floor, which was especially fortunate due to the age of the structure. The two feet of air space between the floors, had the fire gotten into it somehow, could have greatly enhanced the damage caused. As it was, fire crews from New Hampshire and Vermont had to be called in from several towns to combat the threat.
Although the offices of the accounting firm in the building were damaged, with waterlogged files and destroyed computers, tenants were left mostly unscathed. While it took time to get the fire under control, Main Street was reopened a few hours after the incident.
