DANVERS, MASS. (WHDH) - A lightning strike set a Danvers home on fire early Thursday morning, and a Danvers family watching the storm from their back door captured video of the lighting strike.
A resident witnessed a lightning strike and smelled something burning and called the fire department. The damage was contained to the attic and inside the walls of the top floor. Officials said that no one was injured.
“This massive ground strike came out of nowhere,” said David Pabisz. “The sky lit up, it was like the backyard exploded. It was so close.”
When the bolt struck, the Pabisz’s youngest daughter was caught by surprise.
“She literally said ‘it looked like a bomb’ and started crying, and it was really scary,” said Michelle Pabisz.
David Pabisz noticed his son was holding his phone, and realized he had caught the moment on camera.
Firefighters worked through the night to contain the heavy smoke. The damage done to the house has caused the family living there to stay in a hotel for the night.
“It looks like it might have zig-zagged down and hit a tree and their house,” said David. “Maybe you catch something streaking across the sky but I never thought we’d catch something like that.
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