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.
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