Lightning Strikes Jersey Belle Drive Home

Violent storms overnight sent a lightning bolt into a Jersey Belle Drive home in the MeadowView development, sparking a two-alarm fire and displacing the family who lives there.

No residents or  responders suffered injuries in the 6:15 a.m. fire.

“It looks like (the home) was hit by lightning, which traveled down the chimney to the fireplace insert and then made an arc,” fire marshal Bob Worrell said. “It smoldered there for a couple of hours.”

Eventually, the fire climbed between the home’s walls, reaching the attic. By the time the fire was under control at 7:48 a.m., it had destroyed a lower level room and a bedroom.

The family made it out of the home safely, having been roused by smoke alarms, Worrell said. The homeowner declined to comment.