Lightning strike sparks massive house fire in Sanford
Lightning believed to have caused destructive house fire
A house in the Buckingham Estates neighborhood of Sanford was destroyed Tuesday evening after it was struck by lightning during a severe thunderstorm.
SANFORD, Fla. - Authorities believe a lightning strike ignited a devastating fire at a home in the Buckingham Estates neighborhood of Sanford on Tuesday evening, destroying the residence but leaving its occupants unharmed.
What we know:
A house in the Buckingham Estates neighborhood of Sanford was destroyed Tuesday evening after it was struck by lightning during a severe thunderstorm, responding firefighters told FOX 35 News.
The fire broke out around 7:30 p.m. on Northumbria Drive near Markham Woods Road and Orange Boulevard.
Lightning strike sparks massive house fire in Sanford
A lightning strike ignited a devastating fire at a home in the Buckingham Estates neighborhood of Sanford on Tuesday evening, completely destroying the residence but leaving its occupants unharmed, officials said.
A couple and their two dogs were inside the home at the time but escaped without injury. Fire crews confirmed the lightning strike as the cause of the fire.
What we don't know:
While officials confirmed no other homes sustained visible damage, it remains unclear if there was any smoke or heat impact to adjacent structures.
Officials have not yet released the names of the homeowners. While authorities strongly believe the fire was caused by a lightning strike, the Fire Marshal will investigate.
The backstory:
The storm that struck Central Florida on Tuesday evening was part of a broader system producing isolated lightning strikes and heavy rainfall. The FOX 35 Storm Team had been tracking intense cells throughout the day, warning of the risk of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes in residential areas.
What they're saying:
When first responders arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames.
"Unfortunately, in Florida, when we have lightning strikes, and it hits the attic, attic fires are one of the hardest fires that we have. It’s a large, expansive area," said Seminole County Fire Department Lt. Paramedic Dave Williams. "There's not a fire stop and fire spreads quickly and when you have fires exposed and through the roof, one of the tactics we have is to go defensive and put a lot of water on that fire."
Seminole County sheriff’s deputies and firefighters coordinated the response, and officials said the blaze was brought under control despite heavy rain continuing in the area.
Dig deeper:
FOX 35 Storm Team Meteorologist Noah Bergen was tracking the storm and said the lightning strike was particularly powerful.
Nearly 11,000 individual bolts of lightning occurred over Florida on Tuesday afternoon and evening. Of those, many were positive bolts of lightning.
On Earth, most lightning is negatively charged. Those are from the bottom of the cloud to the ground.
On very humid days and in very strong storms, positive bolts of lightning may be generated. Positively charged lightning flows from an area in the upper part of a thunderstorm cloud to the ground.
Radar: Nearly 300 lightning strikes in Seminole County storm
Late Tuesday night, a home in Sanford, Florida, caught fire, likely due to a lightning strike as strong thunderstorms moved through the area. FOX 35's Storm Tracker Radar tracked nearly 300 lightning strikes around 7:23 p.m. -- the same time that storm was crossing Sanford, Deltona, Orange City, and Lake Mary. FOX 35 meteorologist Noah Bergen explains.
Positive lighting is much stronger, brighter, and can do more damage when striking the ground or homes. The lightning that struck the home in Sanford may have been a positive bolt, meaning substantially more power, energy, and intensity causing that fire.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Seminole County Fire Rescue and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office.