Lightning strike blamed for house fire in Swansea

Swansea firefighters responded to a reported house fire on the 200 block of Lake Lorraine Drive in Swansea in the early morning hours of Monday.

Firefighters spotted flames through a second-story window, likely the result of a lightning strike, said Swansea Fire Chief Chris Tell.

“The homeowner stated while he was sleeping, he heard a loud boom. He got up to check around the house. He also checked the external cameras,” said Tell. “He said he laid back down and watched the light show (lightning). In about 15 minutes, he started smelling smoke and his smoke detectors started going off.”

The family, including house pets, evacuated without injuries. The flames, meanwhile, were “knocked down quickly,” Tell said.

Portions of the second floor sustained fire, smoke and water damage. Firefighters remained on scene after the flames were extinguished.

“There was some burning in the attic,” he said. “We wanted to make sure everything was extinguished”.

This story was originally published April 8, 2019 at 10:36 AM.