Family displaced after north Charlotte home catches on fire due to lightning strike
A family of seven was displaced Wednesday after their north Charlotte home caught on fire due to a nearby lightning strike, fire officials said.
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No injuries were reported, and it took 10 minutes to get the fire on Plymouth Avenue under control.
The American Red Cross is helping the family, officials said.
“The fire (was deemed) accidental due to lightning energizing nearby grounding surfaces associated with the structure,” the Charlotte Fire Department tweeted.
The cost of the damage was about $40,000, according to fire officials.
STRUCTURE FIRE UPDATE; 200 block of Plymouth Ave; CFD Investigators deemed the fire accidental due to lighting energizing nearby grounding surfaces associated with the structure; family of 7 displaced with @GCRRedCross assisting; estimated fire loss $40k. Occupants were home. https://t.co/CdFYussuMS pic.twitter.com/XXj0sLaZqD
— Charlotte Fire Dept (@CharlotteFD) January 4, 2023
“It hit it so hard, it shook my house,” neighbor Bobby Collins said. “We thought it was us or her. We didn’t know.”
Another neighbor, Vola Stewart, returned home after taking her grandchildren to school.
“When I heard that last clap, it was like, ‘Click,’” Stewart said. “And I opened my eyes and I just started seeing smoke.”
