It’s the loudest crack you’ve ever heard. The windows buzz, the lights blink, and you’re pretty sure that one didn’t land across the street.
What most people do next is look around, see no flames and go back to bed. That’s the part that can turn a lightning strike into a house fire.
Was that us?
A direct hit is usually hard to miss. The flash and the boom come at the same instant, and the whole house shakes. You might smell something sharp and burnt. Lights, outlets or electronics can quit all at once.
Outside, look for bits of shingle or chimney brick in the yard. A tree near the house might have a long strip of bark blown off.
Call the fire department anyway
This is the step people talk themselves out of, usually because there’s nothing to see. Call 911 and tell them lightning hit your house. Plenty of fire departments carry thermal imaging cameras that can pick up heat inside walls and attic spaces, which is exactly where you can’t look.
If you smell smoke or see any sign of fire, get everyone out first. Let the firefighters do the searching.
Once you’re back inside
When the fire department clears you to go back in, start a list.
Get a licensed electrician to look at the panel and the wiring. A strike can damage circuits in ways that don’t show up right away. Go through the electronics and appliances, and don’t be surprised if a few are dead. Then walk around the outside of the house, paying attention to the roof, chimney, siding and gutters near where you think it hit.
Lightning damage on a roof often looks like any other storm damage. Shingles blown off. Cracked masonry. A split piece of siding. Get it covered quickly so the rain doesn’t follow the strike in. A contractor who handles storm damage repair in Eden Prairie can check the structure, document what’s there and do the repairs after the electrician signs off.
Take pictures of everything before the work starts.
Why the hidden spots matter
Lightning doesn’t always come straight down through the roof. It can come in through a chimney, a satellite dish, the power or cable lines, or a tree right next to the house. Once it’s inside, it follows whatever conducts best, so wiring, metal pipes and gas lines are all fair game.
Along the way it can heat up framing inside a wall or light something in the attic. Nobody’s looking in either of those places at 2 a.m., and a fire there can smolder for a while before anyone smells it.
Advice from a fire marshal
The Lightning Protection Institute shared some advice from Georgia’s state fire marshal on this. He says to check enclosed spaces like the attic and basement after a suspected strike, even when the smoke alarm is quiet and you don’t smell anything. Lightning fires aren’t always visible early, he pointed out, so call the fire department right away. He also listed a lingering acrid smell and debris from a damaged chimney or shingles as signs your home was struck.
If you think it hit the house, don’t wait around for proof. A strike that only kills the TV makes for a bad night. One that starts an attic fire while everyone’s asleep is a lot worse, and a single phone call is usually the difference.