Crews battled an Atlanta house fire they said began when lightning struck a nearby power pole Tuesday afternoon.

Firefighters responded to a home in the 1400 block of Hardee Street near the intersection of Mayson Avenue just before 2 p.m., Atlanta fire spokesman Sgt. Cortez Stafford said.

Investigators said lightning likely struck a pole down the street during a series of afternoon thunderstorms, sending an electrical charge down the power lines and into the home.

Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brad Nitz said there were more than 200 lightning strikes — “a tremendous amount” — across North Georgia just after 2 p.m.

Lightning was reported along the Southside, stretching from DeKalb County to southwest Fulton, as well as Clayton, Fayette and Carroll counties, the news station reported.

A man inside the home managed to make it out safely, Stafford said, and crews were able to extinguish the blaze.

In other news:

Investigators are working to find out why the man was there.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Gwinnett police said they investigated two scenes Friday evening that were later linked. (AJC)

Featured

Former Fulton County election worker Ruby Freeman talks to her daughter, Wandrea ArShaye "Shaye" Moss, a former Georgia election worker, after she testified before the U.S. House Select Committee at its fourth hearing on its Jan. 6 investigation on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca Press/TNS)

Credit: TNS