FAYETTE COUNTY, Ga. — Lightning struck two homes in Fayette County Sunday afternoon.
Fayette County Fire Chief Jeffrey Hill said they happened near Highway 314 and LaFayette Drive.
Hill said in one case, lightning struck in a bedroom of a home. He believes the other strike hit the ground and traveled to the crawl space of a home.
Channel 2’s Eryn Rogers spoke to a neighbor who said he heard a loud explosion sound.
“I couldn’t really see anything until the firemen got here, and then I saw the smoke,” neighbor Edward Smith said.
TREDNING STORIES:
- Father, son killed after tree falls and crushes them at Georgia golf course
- LIVE UPDATES: Storms continue to move through metro Atlanta
- Man killed, another airlifted after tree falls on campsite in remote part of Fannin County
Firefighters returned to the home Sunday evening to check for any hotspots that may have reignited.
The homeowner told Rogers the family dog alerted them to the fire, and everyone was able to get out safely. However, he said there is damage to the home.
“The whole crawl space is burnt out,” homeowner Jonathan Gillard said. “There’s a strong wire smell throughout the whole house. The foundation of the house is pretty much gone.”
Hill said Fayette County sees at least one lightning strike that makes contact with the ground, object, building, or tree each time there is a severe weather storm.
©2025 Cox Media Group
