A home in West St. Paul has been severely damaged after a fire caused by lightning tore through it on Wednesday night.
The strike happened “during an intense part of last night’s storm” and the call to the department came in at about 10:20 p.m., said Chief Ryan Yackel.
Louise Evaschesen, who was the only person in the home, was able to escape unharmed.
“I got a phone call from my neighbour who said ‘I don’t want to alarm you, but my son saw flames coming out of your garage,'” Evaschesen said.
“I just knew the thunder was so immediate that lightning had to be close.”
Damage is estimated at $500,000 for the home and $200,000 for the contents.
The home is across the street from another house that was destroyed in a massive blaze in March of 2015.
Seven people from two families escaped with their lives from that fire, which was caused by a car fire that started in the garage. No one was hurt.
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