Vacationing family’s home destroyed in fire caused by lightning

Cherokee firefighters battle a blaze that destroyed a BridgeMill home overnight.

Credit: Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services

Credit: Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services

Cherokee firefighters battle a blaze that destroyed a BridgeMill home overnight.

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.

Credit: Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services

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Credit: Cherokee Fire and Emergency Services

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.

MORE: Lightning strikes spark 7 fires in Habersham County overnight

While there was no major damage, fire crews were called in from other jurisdictions to help fight the blazes.

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