A house in south Bend sustained about $1500 damage after lightning struck a nearby tree and transferred the strike to the house.
Bend Deputy Fire Chief Larry Medina says lightning damaging a home is not that uncommon; but it only happens a few times a year. And this time the home on Minnetonka Circle was the one, for lack of a better word, chosen. "Basically, its just a matter of physics. So, when lightning runs through the area, it finds an available source, you know whatever is a good conductor. So in some cases, the trees, just due to the height and the moisture content, lend themselves to finding a lightning strike. And then adjacent structures and nearby trees are also vulnerable as that electricity transfers."
Medina says the owner, Roger Oleman, called 911 around 2:15 Wednesday morning after smelling a strange odor about 20 minutes after lightning struck near his house - so he thought. Medina says the lightning actually struck a tree near the house and transferred the energy to the garage of the house causing a small fire to insulation.