Lightning strike causes house fire leaving one man in critical condition

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A man is in the hospital fighting for his life Tuesday after lightning caught his family’s home on fire when it struck the chimney.

A neighbor told KFOR off camera that the lightning strike was so loud that it shook the surrounding homes nearby. Turns out, that lightning strike caused a fire in the attic and put one man in the hospital.

Firefighters were on scene early Tuesday morning working to quickly put out the blaze that started just before 2 a.m.

"When our crews arrived on scene, they had significant smoke issuing from the structure,” shift commander with the Oklahoma City Fire Department David Shearer said. There was also a report of one person still inside the structure."

A neighbor told KFOR that she and her husband tried to help before fire crews arrived. She said the smoke was thick and described the situation as traumatic. Fire crews were eventually able to find the man inside.

"They did find a victim at the top of the stairs on the second floor,” Shearer said. “We moved him out of the structure and provided emergency care for him."

The victim was transported to the hospital in extremely critical condition. Shearer said he most likely suffered issues from smoke inhalation.

KFOR was told in a later update from the Oklahoma City Fire Department that the house had smoke damage all throughout, but the fire damage was contained to the attic and there were no other injuries reported.