Reports: Overnight Storms Sunday to Monday Knock Down Trees, Spark a Fire

Updated 5:37 p.m.:

Storms that passed through Oconee County Monday night brought more than much-needed rain and kept authorities busy.

Around 1 a.m., Hillsboro Road near North High Shoals City Park was closed as fire and emergency vehicles responded to a report of a "potential house fire," according to a Nixle alert sent at 1 a.m. By 1:37 a.m., the road was re-opened. Fire Chief Bruce Thaxton said lightning sparked a fire in crawl space resulting in minor damage.  Firefighters also checked on three other reports of lightning strikes, he said.

Winds downed trees and deputies, firefighters, and road department personnel worked to clear secondary roadways in the south end of the county, according to another Nixle alert sent around  3 a.m.

Did the storms keep you awake? Did you see any damage? Tell us in the comments below.

There were also a couple of reports of issues with traffic signals. The signal at Mars Hill and the Oconee Connector wasn't functioning properly around 2 a.m.  Road personnel were also dispatched to repair the signal at Mars Hill and Daniels Bridge Road around 9:45 a.m. after it was damaged by lightning. The Sheriff's Office reminds motorists to treat any non-functioning traffic signal as a four-way stop.

Another round of storms is possible later today. The Weather Channel's forecast calls for a 40 percent chance of afternoon scattered thunderstorms, some of which could become severe.

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