HARFORD COUNTY, Md. — Storms rolled through Harford County over the weekend and now one family is picking up the pieces after their house caught fire.
"I felt it shake the house, it was a boom,” said Amarr Chambers who was inside the house when lightning struck it.
It was around 5 Saturday evening, when Chambers thought the storm knocked out the power at home. Little did he know, it was much worse, “Suddenly, when I came back upstairs, the ventilation was bright red and that was not how it was supposed to be. So I grabbed my stuff and called the cops.”
His mother was not home but received a frantic call from her son.
"By the time he got outside he told me, he was like mom lightning hit the house and it's on fire,” said Tyquese Pratt-Chambers.
The lightning strike was loud enough to alert the neighborhood.
"Our neighbors next door, they said they thought it was their house, so they came out and they walked around their entire house. One of my neighbors on the back street he knew it hit something and he just got into his car and started driving,” said Pratt- Chambers.
It's not something many consider when those bright lights flash across the sky--- but Michael Kelso from the cleanup and restoration service, Servpro, said it happens more than you think.
"Just currently, right now, I think we're currently at three or four for the year, including this one. On lightning strikes,” said Kelso.
Kelso said if your house is struck by lightning get out immediately and call the fire department.
He said one of the easiest ways to protect your home is having a professional install a lightning rod, but before any storms it's important to have a plan.
"Take a video inventory of your home, all your contents everything like that. Have an idea of what you're going to do. Whether it's a lightning strike or any other type of fire,” said Kelso.
It took 30 minutes to bring the fire under control, but everything must be replaced and the house rebuilt.
Despite it all, Pratt-Chambers is feeling grateful, "All my important documents, all my pictures I didn't have to worry about any of that, those things getting destroyed because I kept them in a fireproof safe.”
