Vacationing family’s home destroyed in fire caused by lightning

An overnight lightning strike sparked a fire that destroyed a BridgeMill home while its owners were away, authorities said.

An overnight fire destroyed a two-story home in Cherokee County while its residents were out of town on vacation, authorities said. Lightning sparked the blaze, according to investigators.

Firefighters responded to the burning home along Spruce Manor Court off Bells Ferry Road about 5 a.m, Cherokee County Fire and Emergency Services spokesman Tim Cavender said.

The two-story house collapsed, according to officials.

Nobody was injured in the blaze. The home’s residents — two adults and three children — were away on vacation, Battalion Chief Kevin Lanier said.

Storms pounded much of North Georgia Thursday morning and hundreds of cloud-to-ground lightning strikes were reported, Channel 2 Action News meteorologist Brian Monahan said.

Authorities in Habersham County said they responded to seven fires caused by lightning early Thursday.