CLIFTON, Va. — Four Virginia residents were displaced after their home was struck by lightning and caught on fire Thursday morning, fire officials say.
Fairfax County Fire officials said they responded to the Clifton home on Gary Hill Drive around 7:50 a.m. for reports of a house fire. Once there, they discovered smoke pouring out of the basement of the two-story home, with the fire spreading towards the back exterior.
Four residents inside the home were displaced but were able to be evacuated without injury. One firefighter was sent to a local hospital for a mandatory check-up.
Officials determined that the fire started after a lightning strike hit space between the basement and the first floor of the house. Somebody inside the home noticed smoke coming from a basement ceiling light, prompting the original call to 911.
Fairfax Fire estimated the damages to the home to range around $50,000.
Other areas outside of Clifton saw heavy lightning and storms Thursday morning as strong rain prompted flood warnings in Maryland, DC and Virginia. Some saw streets completely blocked off with cars submerged in water, with others reporting downed trees and electrical lines.
Prince George's County Fire crews had to rescue some people out of vehicles that were stuck in the middle of the Birchview Drive Road in Clinton due to flooding.
WUSA9 crews were at the scene and noticed that one person even tried to jump-start a car but it remained stuck.
