Since 7:15 a.m. on Thursday, three homes in Hamilton County reported lightning strikes from severe thunderstorms.
The first 911 call came in at 7:15 a.m. from a homeowner reporting a lightning strike at 4439 Johnson Road in the Highway 58 area. Highway 58 Volunteer Fire Department responded and arrived on the scene and reported nothing showing. Fire officials investigated the home and confirmed a lightning strike to the roofline but it did not penetrate inside the house. No smoke or fire was reported and there were no injuries.
The second 911 call came in at 7:37 a.m. in from a homeowner reporting a lightning strike at 7331 South Dent Road in the Dallas Bay area. Dallas Bay Volunteer Fire Department responded as well as the Red Bank Fire Department for automatic mutual aid. Dallas Bay fire officials arrived and reported smoke showing through the roof. Once firefighters confirmed everyone was out of the house, they conducted an interior attack and found a fire on the side of the house. The fire was reported extinguished at 7:58 a.m. No injuries were reported but HCEMS was on the scene for any potential injuries to firefighters. Dallas Bay fire officials have not confirmed this home was a lightning strike. Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office will be investigating this fire. Damages are unknown at this time.
The third 911 call came in at 7:41 a.m. from a homeowner reporting a lightning strike at 7907 Clara Chase Dr. in the Ooltewah area. Tri-Community Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire and Highway 58 VFD was on stand by for any additional emergency calls in Tri-Community VFD district. Tri-Community firefighters arrived and reported minimum smoke in the garage area. No fire was reported and there were no injuries. Tri-Community fire officials confirmed a lightning strike to the garage.