Lightning likely caused Highland Village house fire
HIGHLAND VILLAGE, Texas - A house fire in Denton County may have been sparked by lightning.
What we know:
The fire started around 10 p.m. on Tuesday at home on Overlook Circle.
Storms were moving through the area, and the two people who were home at the time said they heard a lightning strike.
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Both were taken to the hospital for treatment and later released.
Firefighters from Highland Village, Flower Mound, Lewisville, and Lake Cities all battled the flames.
The two-story house sustained serious damage, including a partial collapse in the garage.
What they're saying:
Matt Richoux lives next door and said he also heard a lightning strike.
"I mean, the whole house rattled," he said. "It was scary. It was like the dog jumped up. We jumped up."
At first, Richoux didn't think much of it. But 20 minutes later, he started to hear the sirens.
"I thought it hit our backyard, but it hit their house," he said. "I walked outside, and it was like just filled with fire trucks."
Highland Village house fire courtesy Michael Ciaccio
Richoux said the flames pushed through the roof and then quickly grew so large that additional firefighters were called in to help.
"There was just a little bit of smoke at that point. You know, it didn't look bad, just a tiny bit of smoke coming up. And then it just burst. Firefighters did all they could, but the fire just kept growing and growing and growing."
The firefighters worked through the night. But by the morning, the damage had only gotten worse.
"This morning it actually collapsed. It hadn't collapsed last night. If you walk to the side over there, you can like see inside bedrooms and stuff. It's really sad," he said.
Richoux said his neighbors escaped with their dogs and not much else. He watched firefighters save a few family photos from the rubble.
"I saw them come early this morning, grab a couple of things, talk to the firefighters, and then they left," he said.
He is very thankful that his home is untouched but feels terrible for his neighbors.
What we don't know:
While all the signs point to a lightning strike, the Highland Village fire marshal is still investigating the official cause of the fire.
The Source: The information in this story comes from the city of Highland Village.