Lightning blamed for million-dollar house fire

[TexasStooge]

This was from the Severe weather Early Sunday Morning that supposedly wasn't gonna happen in my area.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLLEYVILLE, Texas (WFAA ABC 8) — Fire did an estimated $2 million of damage to a home in Colleyville early Sunday. Investigators blamed overnight storms for triggering the blaze.

The fire, in the 2400 block of Carlisle Avenue, broke out around 5 a.m. as its residents were sleeping.

They called for help and were able to escape without injury.

Colleyville firefighters sounded a second alarm and received help from seven surrounding departments.

It took firefighters more than three hours to get the flames under control because lightning had struck a natural gas line in the 7,100 square foot home.

"One of the concerns are these gas lines in the attics," said Colleyville Fire Chief Mike Johnston. "If the lightning strikes one of these gas lines and ruptures it, you always have potential fire."

Investigators estimated there was $1.5 million in damage to the five-year-old house itself and another $500,000 to the belongings inside.

[Shoshana]

Yikes... that's bad. Seems lke we've had alot of lightning caused fires here too - last week lightning hit The Oasis, a popular Lake Travis restaurant. About 2/3 of the place burned and they said there was more than a million dollars in damage. They had 40 decks looking out over the lake and the sunset, and they're mostly gone. A little part of the place (It's huge) open this weekend.

http://www.txcn.com/sharedcontent/dws/txcn/austin/stories/060205kvueOasisfolo-eh.2d5cfb6ba.htmll

'shana