Lightning sparks fire in Northwest Raleigh neighborhood, damaging 3 homes
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A lightning strike damaged three homes in a Northwest Raleigh neighborhood.
Firefighters got an emergency call around 2:30 p.m. when severe storms popped up in the area.
Firefighters tell ABC11 a bolt of lightning struck the top of one of the homes, sparking a fire. The fire then spread to two neighboring homes.
Nobody was home at any of the homes, so nobody was injured.
More than 70 firefighters worked for 45 minutes to extinguish the fire.
More storm damage
Fire crews in Raleigh worked a house fire on Gunnison Place.
Karl Knudsen who owns the home tells ABC11 he heard the thunder before lighting hit and it all happened in a short amount of time.
It ran down the tree and into my house.Karl Knudsen, home struck by lightning
"And I happened to look out the window and there was this flash of light and an incredibly loud noise all at the same time. I thought that the lightning had struck one of the trees maybe 50 to 100 yards behind the house as it turns out it struck one that was next to the house and it ran down the tree and into my house."
Knudsen says flames hit the roof and smoke filled the house scaring his cats. Thankfully everyone and the pet got out safely.
The neighborhood is located just north of the North Hills shopping district, near Six Forks Road.
Severe storms cause delays at RDU
On the start of Labor Day Weekend, the severe storms pushing through North Carolina caused a ground stop at Raleigh-Durham International Airport.
The ground stop happened during the thick of the storms due to the danger of planes taking off and landing at the airport. It has since been lifted.
The ground stop caused 115 flights to be delayed and five flights to be canceled. Those numbers could increase as the evening continues.
