Lightning Sets House Ablaze

Fire officials say an apparent lightning strike during Monday's stormy weather sparked a blaze at a large, two-story Snellville home.

A passer-by alerted officials at about 6 p.m. after seeing smoke pouring from the roof of a home located in the 1300 block of Tree Lane in Snellvile, according to Capt. Tommy Rutledge, public information officer for Gwinnett Fire. Firefighters arrived to the scene at approximately 6:07 p.m., according to Rutledge's incident report.

A mother and her daughter were inside the home at the time. The mother tried dousing flames with a fire extinguisher, but she was unsuccessful. She suffered minor exposure to smoke, the report stated.

"The woman stated that she heard a loud boom and saw sparks from a power source," Rutledge said in his incident report. 

When firefighters arrived they found heavy, black smoke coming from the roof and engulfing much of the attic space. Fire crews worked in heavy rain and lightning to bring the fire under control. However, intense lightning prevented firefighters from immediately using an aerial ladder to reach flames because of the potential for electrocution, officials said.

Two hours after the blaze began, the family dog walked out covered in soot, but otherwise OK, Rutledge also reported. A family cat was unaccounted for.

In addition to the hazardous weather and the advanced fire upon arrival of crews, officials said firefighters were challenged by hidden spots in the home's attic that were difficult to reach and that helped spread flames.

Crews worked until shortly after midnight to douse any hot spots.