WESTFIELD, Ind. --
Lightning sparked fires at several homes in Westfield and Fishers as thunderstorms rolled through on Tuesday evening.
Angie Green called 911 to report that her neighbor's home was on fire after a fierce jolt that got her attention, 6News' Ericka Flye reported. That home is near 146th Street and Gray Road.
"We were up in my daughter's bedroom and we were painting and we heard the lightning and the thunder," Green said. "It snapped. We saw kind of a funny light."
Firefighters said they think lightning struck the roof of the home, igniting it. The owners of the home were not home at the time, but they returned as firefighters were dousing their belongings.
Most of the damage was to the upper floor of the home. At one point, the blaze was so intense that it forced firefighters outside.
"Our crews made entry and the ceiling collapsed on top of them," said Westfield fire Capt. Todd Burtron. "Once that happened, we received that report and backed everyone out for safety."
The storm moved through quickly, and the home was destroyed in a matter of minutes.
Mike McCandless rushed out into the pouring rain after hearing a thunderous crack at about 5 p.m.
He knocked on his neighbor's doors and windows trying to make sure no one was inside.
"The flame had just come through the roof area," McCandless said. "You could see the trim where it was knocked from the house."
Though the home was charred and the property was a mess, no one was injured.
Lightning also did some damage in Fishers, where the attic burned at a home on Altamount Drive.
Two other fires and a lightning strike at a hotel were also reported in Fishers.
