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A home in Northern California was recently destroyed by a fire believed to have been caused by a lightning strike. The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Saturday (May 4) at the City Castle Mobile Park in Placer County, according to FOX 40. Residents reported seeing a bright flash followed by a loud noise before the fire broke out.
"The lightning was just crazy all around,” neighbor Terri Potter told reporters. “It was super intense-boom. I was thinking that something had hit my house. I just kind of watched and within probably 10 minutes – it go from smoke to flame and the fire department showed up.”
Video obtained by CBS Sacramento shows a neighbor recording the intense flames raging outside their window.
"That's my neighbor's house right there," the neighbors said in the footage. "Oh, it's so hot. Mom, we might have to get out of here."
The fire tore through the mobile home, leaving behind only pieces of furniture and some personal items. The smell of the burnt residence was still noticeable a day after the fire.
Approximately 40 to 50 cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were reported in Placer County during Saturday’s storm. Craig Shoemaker of the National Weather Service explained that the weekend weather conditions created the perfect storm.
“Yesterday, we had just the right situation for some isolated areas to get more abundant lightning,” he said. “Because you might notice that we had a lot of small hail yesterday. That small hail essentially was rubbing together up in the clouds, causing a lot of friction, a lot of charge."
A woman and her two dogs were inside the mobile home when the flames broke out. The homeowner told reporters she's doing okay and hopes to rebuild her home.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but the Newcastle Fire Protection District Battalion Chief believes lightning started the blaze.