The home of an older Ozark County couple, whose identifies have not been confirmed, has been totally destroyed as a result of a lightning strike earlier this month. According to the Ozark County Times, the house fire occurred on Highway 160 west of Caulfield.
Caulfield Membership Fire Department Chief Shannon Sisney said more than 40,000 gallons of water were used to actively fight the blaze, which started when lightning from a late-afternoon thunderstorm struck the roof of the two-story, log-siding home.
Tecumseh, Bakersfield, Cloud 9 Ranch and Howell Rural fire departments responded in mutual aid with Caulfield, along with Ozark County Ambulance, Howell Oregon Electric Cooperative, the Ozark County Sheriff’s Department and the American Red Cross.
The first emergency responder on scene was Tecumseh VFD assistant chief J. D. Duke, who arrived in his personal vehicle five minutes after his department was dispatched at 6:53 p.m.
Though the couple was at home when the blaze began, they were outside when Duke arrived. A son who lives with the couple was not at home when the fire started.
When Duke arrived, smoke was coming from attic, and within 10 minutes the fire was showing through the shingle roof. In the first few moments after he arrived, Duke was able to get a side-by-side ATV and a few other items out of the garage, but nothing could be saved as flames quickly devoured the home.
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