A Monday afternoon fire caused by a lightning strike temporarily displaced an Amherst County woman and killed her two cats.
Amherst County Public Safety Director Gary Roakes said the resident, whose name he did not release, called 911 at 4:43 p.m., reporting flames in her basement.
Roakes said firefighters, medics and a sheriff’s deputy arrived at the scene on Boxwood Farm Road, just north of the town of Amherst, about nine minutes later.
Firefighters contained the blaze to the basement and extinguished it within about 10 minutes.
Roakes said the basement was the only part of the house to sustain structural damage, but the rest of the house suffered heavy smoke damage.
Neither the resident nor any emergency workers were injured in the fire, he said.
Roakes did not give a monetary estimate on the damage, but said the house will probably be inhabitable again, after repairs are made.
The lightning, he said, didn’t cause any external damage to the house, but wreaked havoc on the building’s electrical system.
According to his investigation, Roakes said, the lightning struck the house and traveled in through the house’s gas line, ending up in the basement, where it sparked the blaze.
Fortunately, he said, the gas didn’t play any part in the fire.
The victim is staying with friends in the area and declined Red Cross assistance, Roakes said. She had insurance on the house.
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