North Texas storms bring heavy downpours, lightning strikes

It was a busy day for first responders as storms rolled through North Texas Wednesday afternoon, causing several house fires and high water rescues.

The Fort Worth Fire Department closed down the intersection near Hardy Street and Terminal Road due to high water after an afternoon of flash flooding. Emergency management and police were on scene to help make sure no one was trapped in the water.

Firefighters rescued stranded drivers throughout the afternoon in Fort Worth. Police and fire crews have blocked off flooded areas.

Residents say the rain fell so fast that it didn’t take long for the flooding to follow. The water, which reached about knee high, covered streets and lawns and even got into some of the homes.

“It came out of nowhere. They said we were expecting rain, but we didn't know that this is going to happen,” said Kandice Davila. “This is the first time this has ever happened. I mean, we were kind of scared.”

Swift water rescue crews were called in to assist stranded residents. They also went door to door to make sure everyone was okay. All residents were safe and accounted for.                     

The fire department's dive team was also called in to look below the water's surface to make sure none of the roads cracked open due to heavy flood waters. So far, they haven’t found anything.  

As the water continues to recede, firefighters have been slowly reopening side streets in the saturated North Fort Worth neighborhood.

The storms also produced lots of lightning and kept firefighters busy putting out house fires.

Keller police say three homes in the area were struck by lightning, but none of them caught on fire.

But that wasn’t the case for a home in Southlake near the Timarron Country Club. Firefighters were able to control the fire before it spread to other homes.

Residents say the storm was fast and violent. Cat Radeloff and other neighbors say they saw a lot of smoke at first and called 911. But within minutes, there were tall flames whipping from the top of the house.

Firefighters got to the home and put out the fire. It appears the house was gutted by the flames.

Grapevine firefighters also had to put out a house fire on Ridgeview Drive. Investigators say lightning caused a fire that did a lot of damage to the kitchen area. No one was injured in the fire. Firefighters say there were a lot of lightning strikes in that area.

Oncor Energy crews have been repairing some of the power lines damaged by the rain.  No word on how many people are without power.