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2 homes catch fire from lightning strikes in Orange County

By Kelly Healey
By Kelly Healey
Lightning struck two homes Tuesday night in Orange County, causing them to catch fire, officials said.
One house fire was in Lockhart and the other in Ocoee. The two calls were made at about 5 p.m.
Lightning left a hole in the roof of the Ocoee home on Lakewood Avenue, officials with the Ocoee Fire Department said.
Neighbors said they felt the ground shake.
“Found the home on fire. It was contained mainly to the attic area,” Ocoee Fire Marshal Shawn Sorenson said.
The residents were not at home at the time of the fire, officials said.
“You feel a strike like that, you need to be aware of not only your own home but your neighbor’s home. You could save someone's life or at least a home,” Sorenson said.
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Ten miles away in an apartment complex on Dijon Drive in Lockhart, lightning struck a tree and sent a current to the top of the building, causing it to catch fire, Orlando fire officials said.
 “It was raining real hard and then it started lightning,” resident Bernardo Santiago said.
Fire officials said it will be several weeks before the families can live in their homes.
No one was injured in either fire.

Cox Media Group

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