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Lightning Strike Starts Fire That Destroys Home

POSTED: 4:53 pm EDT June 27, 2006
UPDATED: 5:48 pm EDT June 27, 2006

Lightning strikes put firefighters on the run all over Central Florida on Tuesday afternoon. There were several reports of lightning hitting homes and businesses. Fire gutted a house on Sarazen Drive in Pine Hills near Hastings.


SLIDESHOW: Home Destroyed After Lightning Strike
VIDEO: Fire Sparked By Lightning Destroys Home

Firefighters weren't sure if the lightning struck a nearby tree or the house, or maybe both. But one thing was likely, the nearby pine trees acted like lightning rods.

"You just heard a loud crash, like boom, and then the house rattled," said resident Pam Watson.

Almost immediately, Watson headed to the door with her dogs. She thought her house might be on fire, but it wasn't her home that was struck. It was her neighbor's house on Sarazen Drive that took the hit.

As fast as the crash came, the rain left," Watson said.

No one was home at the time of the fire, but three dogs inside were unable to make it out.

» MORE PHOTOS «
The rain was just what firefighters could have used for the hot and fast-moving fire. It began at the back of the house, but quickly moved to the attic, and with so much damage to the house, there was plenty of fresh air to fuel the fire.

"They had just redone it within the last year," said neighbor John Mitchell.

Mitchell quickly came down the street to check on his neighbors, who weren't home when lightning struck. But, most of their house was left in ruin.

The Pine Hills fire was just one of about a half-dozen Orange County fire crews responded to in just 90 minutes time, all sparked by lightning.

"I honestly don't know how many calls we've got, but we got a lot of calls about the lightning," said Orange County Fire Battalion Chief Thomas Rullo.

"To see it going up like that, it was no putting it out. You know, they were spraying water on it. It was terrible," Mitchell said.

No one was home at the time of the fire, but three dogs inside were unable to make it out. Firefighter didn't have an exact estimate on damages, but said about 75-percent of the home was severely damaged.


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