Seven people safely escaped a house fire sparked by lightning in Lilburn on Wednesday night.
Fire crews extinguished the blaze at a split-level house in the 1900 block of Lake Lucerne Drive SW around 9 p.m., Gwinnett fire Capt. Tommy Rutledge said.
George Yu told Channel 2 Action News that he was putting his two small children to bed upstairs when he heard and saw lightning. He took the children downstairs before his wife smelled smoke.
The family discovered flames engulfing an upstairs bedroom and called 911, Rutledge said.
Then Yu tried to douse the fire.
"I got the extinguisher, tried to put it out," he told Channel 2. "That didn't work. Got a hose and tried to put it out, and it was just really smoky."
The five adults and two children escaped unharmed and were outside when the fire department arrived, Rutledge said.
The fire, which authorities confirmed was caused by a lightning strike, left heavy damage to the second floor and smoke and water damage throughout the home.
Fire crews also responded to reports of trees and wires down during Wednesday night's storm, Rutledge said.
About the Author
