Jon Johnson Photo/Gila Herald: A home still under construction in Central was struck by lightning and burned to the ground during a severe thunderstorm on Monday afternoon.
By Jon Johnson
CENTRAL – Lightning from a severe thunderstorm struck a residence that was still under construction in Central on Monday afternoon and burned it to the ground.
The storm tore through the Central area at about 4 p.m. knocking down several branches, uprooting trees and some outbuildings. One uprooted tree knocked down a resident’s wall off Bigler Avenue and knocked out power to the area.
Thatcher Fire responded to the burning residence and helped keep the blaze to the single structure, which was a total loss.
According to the homeowner, the roughly 5,000-square-foot home was nearly complete and was scheduled to have drywall hung the following day. He said a tradesman was inside working on the tile when he heard a boom as the lightning hit. The tradesman was not injured, according to preliminary reports, and made it outside of the home and called 911.
A stunning picture captured by junior photographers Lucy Bingham and Laci Hull, both 14, shows what is believed to be the lightning strike that hit the home.
The homeowner said he would file a claim with his insurance company on Tuesday and begin the process of rebuilding. While he hopes the foundation can be salvaged, due to the amount of debris burning on top of it the heat may have caused the concrete to not be able to be used again and he would then have to remove it and start basically completely from scratch.
The homeowner has requested anonymity, and since they are the victims in this incident the Gila Herald requests their names not be used in any comments on this article.
See more photos of the aftermath of the severe thunderstorm here.
