JUPITER, Fla. — A woman and her two children escaped a house fire unharmed after her 2-year-old noticed smoke and alerted the family.
The home, just north of the Palm Beach County line with Martin County, had extensive damage.
The incident happened in the 11000 block of Southeast Tiffany Way at about 5:30 p.m. Thursday.
The child noticed smoke, alerted the family and they were able to make it out safely, Martin County Fire Rescue said.
The homeowner told WPTV she was getting ready for dinner when they heard the sound of the strike hitting a back bedroom.
They ran out to a car for safety, including their 11-year-old.
"My wife just jumped and whoa, it was extremely loud," next-door neighbor Al Ludwig said.
"At that point, the flames were kind of going up into the roof and smoke big time, and I took the hose out and tried to keep it cool," Ludwig said. "My wife was on the phone with 911."
The National Weather Service said lightning bolts can be 50,000 degrees Fahrenheit.
"When those bolts come down and strike something, you're talking about flames and heat that can be off the charts," Martin County Fire Rescue spokesman Cory Pippin said.
2-year-old notices #smoke after #lightning strike, family escapes house #fire
— Martin County Fire Rescue (@MartinCountyFR) August 18, 2023
Our #firefighters responded to the 11000 block of SE Tiffany Way in Jupiter around 5:30 pm yesterday.
It appears a woman was at home w/her 2-year-old & 11-year-old children when lightning struck. pic.twitter.com/1vyEuonQ7V
This lightning strike is one of numerous incidents that occurred during the severe thunderstorms in Palm Beach County Thursday. Many residents reported downed trees, a Boynton Beach resident had the roof of his tiki hut blown off, and a tree even fell on a school bus in West Palm Beach.
