Two East Cobb house fires caused by lightning strikes about 10 minutes apart forced the Cobb County fire department to spread out its equipment Wednesday afternoon.

A call about a fire on Galloway Drive came in at 3:46 p.m., followed by word of a worse blaze on Notty Pine Trail at 3:56 p.m.

Denell Boyd, public information officer for Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services, said no one was injured, but the house on Notty Pine Trail was destroyed.

She said the house on Galloway Drive had smoke and water damage, but two-thirds of the house was safe.

"The lightning basically struck straight through the house and went all the way to the basement floor," she said.

Flames spread quickly on Notty Pine Trail and took about an hour to get under control.

The houses are not that far from each other, Boyd said, "so we can't send so many pieces of equipment to one fire. We had to pull equipment from another battalion."

Boyd said there also was a small electrical fire at the house next door to the home on Notty Pine, so the power company shut off the electricity.

"When lightning strikes like that, it will go through electrical wires," she said.

Also on Notty Pine Trail, a search was on.

"They're missing a little white cat, which hasn't been found yet," Boyd said. "We don't know if it ran out."

Noting the weather forecast just after 6 p.m., she added, "It looks like it's coming through again, so it's going to be Round 2 in a minute."