SPICEWOOD, Texas — The Pedernales Fire Department responded to the scene of a house fire at a home on Lakehurst Road in Spicewood on Wednesday night.
Through investigation, the department concluded that the fire was likely caused by a lightning.
Dan Lowe, a neighbor in the area, said he witnessed the fire firsthand.
"They were pretty intense, the flames were," Lowe said.
Lowe said the house was fully engulfed within a few minutes, but no one was hurt because the homeowners were away at the time. The 3-story home has been deemed a total loss.
Lowe Facetimed the homeowners and told them what happened Wednesday night.
He said he marveled at the intensity of Wednesday night’s storms.
"It was kind of like that finger lightning, where it breaks out and can see it all over the place," Lowe said.
KVUE Meteorologist Shane Hinton said during the summer, with warmer temperatures, there can be more thunderstorms.
"That's because we have instability in the atmosphere, a lot of moisture in the air, and it's a breeding ground for storms to develop. And when you have thunderstorms, you are going to have lightning as well,” Hinton said.
The National Weather Service said based on data from the U.S National Lightning Detection Network from over the last 30 years, most lightning strikes in Travis County occur between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. This one happened right in between, just before 9 p.m.
