Thunderstorms Batter New England; Thousands Without Power In Maine

Thunderstorms have battered parts of New England, downing trees and causing power outages for thousands in Maine.

The National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch Saturday for counties in southern Maine and southern and central New Hampshire. In the evening, all the watches were canceled.

Earlier in the day, there was a severe storm warning for parts of western Massachusetts.

The Boston Globe reports that fires in Southwick and Marlborough may have been caused by lightning strikes. No injuries have been reported in the blazes.

A video posted to Twitter showed a lightning strike hitting and igniting fire to a boat in Boston.

The Portland Press Herald reports that more than 18,000 customers in Maine were without power at one point. That number was dropping as service was restored. York and Lincoln countries were particularly affected.

The Penbay Pilot reports that a house fire in Camden was attributed to a lightning strike. The fire caused signficant damage to the home and hospitalized a firefighter.

Lightning strikes downed trees in some areas in Maine, and heavy rains slowed traffic. The Portland International Jetport said in a tweet that some flights were delayed or canceled because of the weather.

With additional reporting from WBUR's Laney Ruckstuhl