House burns down because of a lightning strike

[KrisZ]

A house in my neighborhood burned down because of a lightning strike last night.
I talked to the owner briefly and thanks goodness his family is all OK. He is planning to rebuild the house, so that's good to hear.

What surprised me is how quickly the house caught on fire. I heard the strike around 10:45-11pm and the house was on fire by 11:30pm.
Scary fast if you ask me.

 

[bbhero]

Yeah… Terrible deal there. That looks to have been a very, very nice house. Main thing is the family was ok.

The wood underneath is bone, bone dry. And other materials are highly flammable as well. I believe that lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun.

If it hits a tree they explode due to instantaneous boiling of water inside the tree. That’s incredibly hot to do that.

 

[Nick1994]

I saw a video online where someone recommended spending 15-20 minutes and walking through your entire house recording every drawer, closet, cabinet, etc. in your house. Just briefly. Because I guess insurance makes you itemize everything you own in the event of a catastrophic event like fire, and you have to list its age and value etc. They recommended this because it can be difficult to remember every single little item you have.

So I did it and uploaded it to YouTube. Unlisted so it's private.

 

[daves87rs]

I saw a video online where someone recommended spending 15-20 minutes and walking through your entire house recording every drawer, closet, cabinet, etc. in your house. Just briefly. Because I guess insurance makes you itemize everything you own in the event of a catastrophic event like fire, and you have to list its age and value etc. They recommended this because it can be difficult to remember every single little item you have.

So I did it and uploaded it to YouTube. Unlisted so it's private.

Was actually working on that idea…..

 

[oldcodger]

I live in a rural area and have been here 48 years. Three houses in my community have been destroyed by lightening. I agree the speed of a fire is hard to believe. If it takes 15-30 minutes for the fire department to get there it will probably be too late.

 

[Speedbird001]

Scary for sure... I wish I could spare the coin for a lightning rod ($3k???)

The science behind them is amazing. Saw this one graphic how the tip abosorbs or grounds the [excess electrons?] in the air around the rod/house reducing chances of a hit by several fold

My Dad got kind of lucky; lightning hit the gutters, most of the energy rode that to the ground but it still took out his a/c unit and a few small appliances for a total bill of near $10k

 

[Leo99]

I saw a video online where someone recommended spending 15-20 minutes and walking through your entire house recording every drawer, closet, cabinet, etc. in your house. Just briefly. Because I guess insurance makes you itemize everything you own in the event of a catastrophic event like fire, and you have to list its age and value etc. They recommended this because it can be difficult to remember every single little item you have.

So I did it and uploaded it to YouTube. Unlisted so it's private.

I assumed insurance paid out the amount listed in my policy for possessions in the house in the event of a complete catastrophic loss. I don't have anything super expensive among my possessions. That's what my premium is based on.

 

[RhondaHonda]

I assumed insurance paid out the amount listed in my policy for possessions in the house in the event of a complete catastrophic loss. I don't have anything super expensive among my possessions. That's what my premium is based on.

Typically they would pay out the contents limit or if you have replacement cost or extended replacement endorsement will pay a portion then pay the additional when you submit receipts. Documenting everything is a good idea though. Just think of replacing all the cleaning supplies and cosmetic stuff in your cabinets. It’s probably much more than you’d expect and that’s just a small amount of items.

 

[Dave Hess]

This happens in Florida during the summer time and not surprised it burned so quickly.

 

[ka9mnx]

I believe that lightning is hotter than the surface of the sun.

Yes, this is true.

 

[IveBeenRued]

I’m glad everyone is ok. Two neighbors have had lightning strikes and partial burns. I hope that your neighbor had good insurance. One of mine had what he thought he had enough coverage but ended up paying 30% of the total repairs himself because of some weird clause limiting the amount of repairs to certain rooms. Like a bedroom is max $10K, kitchen is $40K, sunrooms are $20K, etc.

 

[vwmaniaman]

My uncle and aunt in southern Illinois had lightening rods at 3 places on their roof with huge cables going to stakes in the ground.

 

[Kira]

huge cables

Like welding cables?

 

[Zaedock]

That sucks. Glad the family is ok. I survived a lightening strike back in 1977 when my old man placed his ham radio antenna near the gas tanks. It was a triple decker in Rhode Island. Lightening struck it and it blew up. My family had to jump off the porch onto a fireman's trampoline. We lost everything but the clothes on our backs and our '71 Catalina Wagon.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

If I could be so lucky.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Like welding cables?

You would thing since its high tension, an uninsulated guy wire with generous standoffs should do the trick. Might be worth looking into if you are high and exposed. I am up on a hill but surrounded by 50 foot plus king pines - so they take the brunt.

She's my knotty pine
She leans with the wind, She cries turpentine
Sometimes she nettles me but I don't mind
Only now and then
When her branches lean beneath the snow - G. Lightfoot

 

[2heeldrive]

It is frightening how fast a house can go up in flames. Houses in the USA are not built to be fire resistant at all. Just look how quickly entire neighborhoods were consumed by wildfires in California.

Houses really should be built with fire resistance in mind.

Lightening rods are probably a good first step.

 

[Kira]

Anybody know if lightning rods are included in building codes?

 

[loneryder]

I was sleeping in an above garage apt on a mattress on the floor. I had an extension cord running around the mattress which was up against a wall. A shock woke me up and I realized there was a bad thunderstorm. I couldn't figure what shocked me out of a deep sleep. Next am I went outside and looked up at the roof. The gutter above my bed was blown down and the soffit was damaged. So I had been struck by lightning indirectly. Blew my mind.