Severe thunderstorms crashed through the Attleboro area Tuesday, spewing hail, hurling lightning bolts that sparked a house fire in Seekonk and barn blaze in Rehoboth and causing flash floods on area roads.

A first wave of storms rolled in early afternoon, followed by another line of storms in the early evening that an Attleboro Water Department employee described as a "tornado blowing by" in South Attleboro.

The water department reported the storms dumped a total of 1.55 inches of rain - most of that falling within short bursts during the afternoon.

The water was a nuisance, but the lightning strikes were more ominous.

In Seekonk, a home at 61 Scott Road was struck by lightning early in the afternoon, sparking a fire in an upper floor bedroom. The incident was reported at 1:20 p.m., and neighbors reportedly rescued a pet.

A firefighter who works for the nearby Barrington, R.I., fire department lives at the home. He was not home at the time, Seekonk fire Lt. Michael Bourque said.

There was no estimate of damage, but the home had a hole in the roof.

"I don't think he will be living in there tonight," Bourque said Tuesday.

In Rehoboth, Susan Ciannavei and her children were watching a movie at their house about 2 p.m., when they heard a loud crack of thunder that was too close for comfort.

At first, everything seemed OK, but about 4:30 p.m. dense clouds of smoke were pouring from the 118-year-old barn on their property.

"For a couple of hours no one noticed, said Marc Ciannavei, Susan's husband. "Then from the time it was smoldering until the time the firefighters got here, it was half gone. It went so quickly.

Although no farm animals were quartered in the 1,925-square-foot barn, the Ciannavei family did use it for storage, including a couple of cars, a tractor, some farm equipment and hay.

One car and the tractor were saved.

And now, the house is having electrical problems, he said. In North Attleboro, lightning struck the backyard of a home at 24 Janice Lane about 6:15 p.m.

North Attleboro Fire Capt. Peter Cullen said the lightning did minor damage to the property, including wiring that effected outside lights.

Homeowner Bill Mayer, his wife and daughter were home at the time.

When the lightning hit, it produced a loud rumble that shook the entire house, he said.

In Norfolk, two lightning strikes kept firefighters busy, Fire Chief Coleman Bushnell said.

About 2 p.m., a group home on North Street was hit and had to be evacuated, but no fire was reported, the fire chief said. The fire alarm system was knocked out of commission.

And about 6 p.m., a home at 6 Freedom Trail was struck, causing significant electrical damage, Bushnell said.

If lightning rattled the area, heavy rain turned area roads into ponds and ground driving to a halt.

On Route 152, rain from the first storm was so heavy drivers pulled over to the roadside until the storm passed.

In Attleboro, police blocked off North Main, Mechanic and John streets because cars were unable to get through.

The first storm started about 1:45 p.m. in Attleboro, with hail falling during a 15-minute period around 2:40 p.m.

The severe thunderstorm was capable of producing nickel-sized hail and winds of more than 60 mph, according to the National Weather Service.