Lightning sparks two house fires in Austin area

AUSTIN, Texas - Lightning strikes from Sunday night's storms sparked two house fires across the Austin area.

What they're saying:

On March 23, in Southeast Austin, a bolt of lightning hit a home around 9:30 p.m., sparking a fire. 

"It was immediately 'crack'. It sounded like something hit something," said neighbor Chuck Jennings. 

"And then I saw the smoke coming from the house," said neighbor Ethan Jennings. 

Austin fire crews rushed to the home on Cottage Rose Drive near Onion Creek and US-183. When they arrived, part of the roof was on fire. 

"They could see three-foot flames coming out of the structure," said Rachael Lewis, operations public information officer for the Austin Fire Department. 

"That's the first time I've seen something like that," said Chuck Jennings. 

Crews used a ladder truck to open up the roof and put the fire out. 

"As you can see, this subdivision, everything's pretty close together. You wondered if it might spread, but the firefighters did a good job," said Chuck Jennings. 

The family was home and got out safely. No one was hurt. 

"The house is quite damaged. That is something that we see with lightning strikes. The attic is very damaged. The home will need quite a bit of extensive work in order to be able to be livable again," said Lewis.

The Austin Fire Department says they responded to several lightning-related calls Sunday night. 

"As the storm season picks up, we do see quite a rise in lightning strikes," said Lewis. 

Meanwhile, in Lakeway, crews with Lake Travis Fire Rescue were called to another fire sparked by lightning on Whitley Drive in the Ridge at Alta Vista neighborhood off FM 620. 

When crews arrived, they found heavy fire coming from the roof of the home. Four other departments were called in due to high winds and blowing embers threatening nearby homes. 

No one was hurt.

What you can do:

While you can't prevent lightning from striking your home, you can protect your appliances by getting a surge protector. 

"You can buy or install. We recommend having them installed, a lightning rod inside your home," said Lewis. "So what that can do is it gives the lightning a safe place, a safe means to travel towards the ground, which typically reduces the fire and the damage risk."

If you see lightning, you should get inside and stay inside, stay away from doors or windows, and avoid using water.