ARVADA, Colo. (KDVR) – A homeowner and her mother fled for safety on Sunday afternoon after lightning, described as loud as a bomb, hit their Colorado home.
“We ran out cause we thought it was the tree coming down on our house. That’s what it sounded like,” said Amanda Strawn, who owns the Arvada home.
Standing outside the house, her neighbors across the street had come outside to let Strawn know that her home had been struck by lightning.
“Our neighbors told us they caught the whole thing on the security footage, so we watched the whole thing,” Strawn said.
After watching the video, Strawn said she is thankful her family is safe. The lightning strike she described moved from the tree out front to the drainage system. It even started a little fire that eventually smoked out on the right side of her roof.
“There were actually a few burn marks we were seeing yesterday,” Strawn said.
The damage that Strawn tabulated included:
- One broken television.
- One of her garage doors won’t open.
- A few burn marks on the outside of the home.
- One outlet doesn’t work.
- Her cable box is fried.
- The WI-FI is not working.
- The Air Conditioner thermostat is not working.
- She still doesn’t know everything that was impacted by the strike.
“I don’t know how anyone survives something like that,” Strawn said.
Her neighbor across the street, Kevin Gutknecht, shared the video with KDVR. He didn’t see the lightning strike happen, but his father-in-law, who was visiting for the long weekend, did.
“We stepped outside, the neighbors came out holding their ears wondering what in the world happened,” said Rex Hanks, who saw the strike happen.
Strawn said she expects to have to cut down the tree out front, which she says breaks her heart.
“Once it strikes the tree, it dies from the inside and comes down,” Strawn said. “I was really shocked. What a crazy moment. I’m happy he had it on security footage.”
She will be filing all the damages with her insurance company.
