ORONO – Violent thunderstorms caused power outages and damage to a house in Orono Thursday afternoon.

Capt. Henry Vaughn of the Orono Fire Department reported that a call came into his station at 2:36 p.m. from a home on 38 Gilbert St.

By the time firefighters arrived, the home’s owner, Ellen Goater, had stomped out the drapery fire, said Vaughn.

Vaughn said sparks from an outlet lit the nearby curtains on fire. Lightning was at least partly to blame for the sparks, he suggested.

Vaughn estimated that the fire caused several thousand dollars in damage to Goater’s home.

At 4 p.m., lightning struck a tree on the Kelly Road, causing a branch to catch fire.

Carolyn Miller, supervisor of customer service at the Bangor Hydro-Electric Co., said the fire then spread from the tree to a power line.

Vaughn said the Orono Fire Department received a call at 4:01 p.m. indicating that the line had snapped and was dangling in the street. Upon arrival, the firefighters cleared the area and redirected traffic while a Bangor Hydro-Electric crew replaced the smoldering line.

Miller said the downed line caused a power outage to 88 customers. Bangor Hydro-Electric Co. restored power at 5:03 p.m., she said.