ORLEANS, Mass. -- Authorities have identified an Eastham man who died after being struck by lightning while shellfishing off Cape Cod.
Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe on Thursday said 42-year-old Christopher West was struck on a boat in Pleasant Bay in Orleans late Wednesday afternoon.
O'Keefe says 67-year-old John Jonason, also of Eastham, witnessed the strike and was treated and released at Cape Cod Hospital.
Officials have said the storm came on very suddenly and may have caught boaters by surprise.
In Abington, lightning is being blamed for starting a fire inside an attic on Mill Street Wednesday afternoon.
The homeowner was the only one there at the time, and she made it out safely. The roof and some belongings were damaged.
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