- April 25, 2024
-
-
Loading
Loading
A home in the 900 block of Northbrook Drive caught on fire after being struck by lightning on Friday, July 27.
The city reported that the Ormond Beach Fire Department was dispatched to the home at about 6:15 p.m. and was assisted by Volusia County Fire Services. Firefighters successfully evacuated all four occupants and their two dogs from the residence. There were no injuries.
But Ormond Beach resident Sue Basta, a neighbor of the affected family, said she had never seen something like that happen in the 45 years she has lived in the neighborhood.
"It was the loudest bolt of lighting I've ever heard," Basta said.
The sound made her scream. Shortly afterward, she said she saw a police officer knock on the door of the residence, which housed a man, woman, their son and a visiting grandmother at the time of the fire. She said the family didn't know their rented house had caught on fire until police alerted them.
The family and their two Yorkies were able to exit the home safely. Basta watched over their son during the turmoil, including a brief moment where a plume of smoke billowed out into the street.
"That scared me," Basta said. "You couldn't see anything."
Damages to the home are estimated to cost $45,000. In 2016, the U.S. Fire Administration estimated there were 364,300 residential fires in the country.
Story was updated at 1:47 p.m., Tuesday, July 31, to add in Sue Basta's perspective on the fire.
