ORLANDO, Fla. — Tense moments were captured on a 911 call during a lightning fire on Tuesday night. It tore through a Sanford home. And today, you could see a gaping hole from up above.
A neighbor called 911:
Caller: We saw the lightning strike about 2 or 3 minutes ago.
Dispatcher: Ok is there anybody still in the house?
Caller: I do not know. They haven’t responded.
Luckily, no one was injured in that fire or another lightning fire in Orange County on Monday night. But with two fires in one week, we asked homeowners if they do anything to protect their homes from lightning. Ramone Rivas says, “Lightning, what can you do?” Andre Shearrion tells us, “It is a concern, but there’s not much I can do except make sure I’m not in the shower.”
But Thomas Jenkins has a plan, “If lightning does hit, Duke’s program helps take care of everything.”
Duke Energy spokesperson Ana Gibbs explains how surge protectors are installed in meters to protect homes from lightning. “It’s the surge protection program that you would get from your utility company. Installed at your meter, we are able to tell if it’s an actual surge through the meter.”
She says it’s different from a power strip. “The strip is only going to protect that outlet and what’s plugged into that outlet.” The surge protection program is $9.99 a month, and appliances are covered under warranty. We asked Jenkins, “What made you want to do it?” He replied, “Because of the cost, it’s way cheaper than dealing with an electrician by yourself.” Gibbs says, depending on where you live, there are different programs offered through different utility companies.
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