MACOMB TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WXYZ) — Fire officials in Macomb Township say lightning was to blame for an overnight house fire on Arrowhead Drive.
Residents in the neighborhood say the impact of the lightning strike woke them up out of their sleep. The strike was caught on a Nest home surveillance camera at 3:20 a.m.
“It was a loud boom," neighbor Nicole Vigneau said. “It was scary.”
The sound startled Vigneau out of a peaceful sleep. She lives right next door to the home hit by lightning on Arrowhead Drive.
“Definitely, I could tell something hit either my house or next door," she explained. “I was looking out the window to check on the neighbors."
Soon, she saw firefighters battling flames at the back of the home. 7 Action News spoke with the homeowners dealing with the aftermath and assessing the damage with insurance adjusters.
The homeowners didn’t want to go on camera. However, the husband said he was already awake in the bedroom chatting with his wife when they heard the strike.
They were unaware it hit their home and penetrated the roof.
Fifteen minutes later, he said they heard a crackling noise, saw smoke billowing and got out.
Neighbor David Schnoblen said, “We heard some rain, then we heard some thunder and out of the blue just hear the big ba-boom.”
It’s his Nest camera that captured the footage, and it's an investment he said was for security purposes and for monitoring packages deliveries.
When asked if he ever imagined capturing a lightning strike on a home, Schnoblen replied, "That intense? No."
You may be surprised to hear home lightning strikes aren’t unheard of, according to Macomb Township Fire Department Chief Robert Phillips. He said the department responds to numerous structure fires every year that are caused by lightning strikes. Lightning seeks the path of least resistance.
In the latest data from the National Fire Protection Association, an average of 22,600 fires are started by lightning every year.
In this case, the chief said the residents did the right thing when noticing the smoke and getting out.
Vigneau said several neighbors prayed with the homeowners, who are thankful they escaped unharmed.
“That was the main thing was that they were OK. Thank God they got out safe," Vigneau said.
