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Neighbors witness moment when lightning possibly started massive house fire in Roswell

FULTON, Ga. — A fire decimated a Roswell home on Monday that may have been caused by the weather.

On Monday night, neighbors told Channel 2 Action News that lightning hit the home on Roxburgh Drive.

Channel 2′s Elizabeth Rawlins was live from the home on WSB Tonight at 11 p.m. where she spoke with a neighbor who saw it all.

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The home backs up onto the golf course and some golfers were forced to take shelter Monday morning as they witnessed a blinding lightning strike. Within minutes, they realized the home was on fire.

Channel 2 Action News obtained the dramatic video of the flames consuming the Roswell home.

“There was dark, black smoke, even in the rain, you could see the heavy smoke in the sky,” said Don Zabkar.

One neighbor and golfer was waiting for the storm to pass when he heard and saw the dangerous moments unfold.

He said the home went up in flames as quickly as it took for the first responders to arrive, which was just seven minutes.

“This was right up on us. It flashed and the ground shook,” said the witness.

Firefighters from Roswell, Johns Creek, and Sandy Springs all responded but it was too late the home was destroyed.

“If you see the home from the golf course side, it’s just devastating,” said the witness.

The homeowners were not home when it happened. But firefighters managed to get their two dogs out of the home safely.

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Rawlins spoke with the family when they returned to the home. They were too devastated and did not want to go on camera. They said they were trying to focus on salvaging whatever they could.

“I’m assuming this was a lightning strike and you don’t realize how quickly everything happens...you have seconds,” said the witness.

No one was injured in the fire.

Investigators are still working to determine if the cause of the fire, in fact, was related to severe weather.

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