Lightning from Sunday’s storm is what officials said is the preliminary cause of four house fires in Lake Charles.

Lake Charles Fire Chief Delton Carter said only one of the four houses sustained substantial damage.

That house was located on Kirby Street. Chief Carter said it was originally believed the homeowners were not home.

“The people were home, they didn’t know,” Fire Chief Delton Carter said. “The fire spread, because the lightning hit in multiple spots.”

The other three are located on Greathouse Road, C. McKenzie Circle and Shell Beach Drive.

From the street, you can’t tell these houses were even struck. Carter said they only sustained minor damage.

“When it comes to damage from lightning strikes, it can be minimal or catastrophic,” Carter said.

Chief Carter said there really isn’t a way to prevent lightning strikes, unless you have a grounded lightning rod that many houses are not equipped with.

He said the extent of damage is dependent on where the lightning strikes.

“When it strikes you house, it attacks the electrical wire,” Carter said. “So, once those get super charged and over-heated, they catch fire in different spots.”

So far, it is confirmed that lightning is the cause of the fire at the Kirby Street. location. The other three locations remain under investigation.

https://www.kplctv.com/2022/06/28/lightning-suspected-causing-four-house-fires-lake-charles-sunday/