NORTH PORT, Fla. — The roof of a home in North Port caught fire Saturday afternoon after it was struck by lightning, authorities say.
Crews first received the report of a possible blaze at around 5:01 p.m. after the home's automatic fire alarm activation went off, the North Port Fire Rescue said in a news release.
When officials arrived at the home in the 8100 block of Amendola Avenue, they said there was no visible indication of a fire, but there was an odor of smoke.
Crews reportedly then made their way into the home to investigate, and that's when they saw a haze and smoke coming from a small hole in the roof that had been caused by a lightning strike.
NPFR says firefighters removed any roofing materials that were on fire around the impacted area. Crews also used a thermal imaging camera to make sure no other heat signatures were detected in the attic or other areas of the home.
"The electricity was controlled at the breaker panel before firefighters made their way to the roof to cover the damage with a tarp to prevent further water damage from the continuing rain," the news release reads.
There were no reported injuries to people near the area or crews at the scene.
Firefighters say they were able to speak with the homeowner who told them they would be getting in touch with the appropriate contractors for evaluating and fixing the home.
Away from the lightning strike incident, NPFR says they also had to check in on three different calls involving cars stranded in high water between 5:01 p.m. and 5:39 p.m.
Authorities say the city was experiencing localized flooding in certain areas and people were asked to not drive into floodwater.
One car was stranded in high water at Symco and William Street, but the driver was able to get out of the car without getting hurt before crews arrived.
Luckily, there were also no reported injuries to people who were stuck in the other cars.
