Lightning Strike Sparks Fire In Algonquin
CHICAGO (CBS) -- An Algonquin family was rocked from their sleep when a lightning bolt struck their house, and started a fire early Thursday morning.
The homeowner said it's fortunate no one was hurt, as the lightning struck just feet away from where he and his wife were sleeping in their two-story home on Circle Drive.
Around 6:30 a.m., Brion Jackson was sleeping when he heard a thunderclap, then eventually smelled smoke.
He joked he's a sound sleeper, but woke up when the lightning hit the roof of his house, just feet away from where he was sleeping. He thought the storm had passed, and went back to sleep, but when he smelled smoke, he got up and called 911.
"About 6:30, it woke me up, but thinking that was just lightning, I went back to sleep, and then I heard crackling in the walls. We have a lot of animals around here, so I thought it must just be squirrel," Jackson said. "Then my wife called to me, said 'The house is on fire.' So we both ran out, and the smoke was pouring. I told her 'Call 911,' and in a few minutes the fire department was here. Turned out that it was a fire up in the attic, where the lightning had hit."
A portion of the roof was charred by a fire that started in the attic, before it was smothered by firefighters.
The water damage inside was evident; after part of the ceiling was ripped out to make sure the blaze didn't rekindle.
Jackson said his insurance will cover the cost of repairing the damage.
Firefighters said no one was injured during the fire.
