CLEARWATER, Fla. (WFLA) — A Clearwater home caught fire Tuesday night after the homeowners said it was struck by lightning for the fourth time.
The fire is said to have started at the attic before spreading to the back of the house.
The neighborhood saw nonstop lightning all Tuesday night, something they’ve gotten used to over the years.
“It’s like a bomb going off,” neighbor Mark Blanton said. “You’ll see a flash of light and an immediate explosion at the same time.”
Homeowners on Douglas Drive said their neighborhood is known for wicked weather. So much so, multiple homes here have been struck by the biggest bolts ever.
“When they hit, it’s loud, sounds like a bomb,” Blanton said. “Everything gets knocked off your windows, pictures come off the walls.”
Blanton has lived in this area for nearly three decades, he says even though wild summer weather is a way of life around here, it’s never easy when lightning strikes.
“Mother Nature in Florida, the lightning storms are really bad in the Tampa Bay area,,” he said. “She’s in control.”
“It was so loud, never heard anything like that,” neighbor Cindy Ashe said.
The homeowner and his son got out just in time. Neighbors are thankful the two survived. Now, comes the clean-up after one serious storm
“Luckily everybody is safe over there,” Ashe said. “Thank god.”
Officials expect to release an official cause of the fire, but it appears that the lightning strike is to blame, although it could be a power surge.
