SLIDELL, La. — Stacia Knight and her family are still figuring out where to go after their home was struck by lightning and caught fire Monday afternoon.
Knight said it happened around 2:30 p.m. as thunderstorms rolled through the Slidell area.
From the outside, the home may look fine besides a hole in the roof, but the inside is a different story.
Slidell Fire Chief, Chris Kaufmann, said about 50 percent of the home was impacted.
“Lightning will come down. It will hit a roof, penetrate a roof," Kaufmann said. "You know most homes are built out of wood frame construction that’s combustible. All it takes is a little bit of combustion and before you know it you have a fire.”
Kaufmann said firefighters responded to Knight's 911 call in one minute.
“We had 13 units, 32 firefighters on scene put the fire under control within 45 minutes," Kaufmann said.
Knight told Eyewitness News that she, her teenage sister and her 9-month-old daughter were in the home when the lightning hit.
“The homeowner was present, heard the lightning strike, the house shook, got the family members out, went to her neighbor’s house," Kaufmann said, "They did everything correct.”
Stacia's husband, Christian, walked through the now charred home that smells like barbecue Tuesday morning to get estimates for their insurance company. It could take up to a year for their home to be back to normal.
“We spray a lot of water," Kaufmann said, "So there is some water damage along with the fire damage.”
The chief said the Knight's home was the fourth structure fire St. Tammany First District 1 has responded to this year, but they've received around 10 calls for lightning strikes.
That's why he's encouraging folks to give their fire department a call if you think you've been struck.
“When in doubt, get out," Kaufmann said.
The Knight family said they were almost done renovating the home after living there for about four years.
Click here to support the family on Go Fund Me
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