A Villages home was damaged by fire late Wednesday afternoon as a thunderstorm rolled through the area.
Multiple units from The Villages Public Safety Department and Lake County Fire Rescue responded to the call for help, which came in shortly after 4:30 p.m. And upon arrival, they reported smoke showing at the residence, located at 1317 La Jolla Circle in the Rio Grande Villas.
The fire was contained to the villa’s attic and was knocked down within 20 minutes. There no injuries. And the cause of the blaze hasn’t officially been determined, though lightning was reported in the area at the time.
Villager Len Hathaway, a recognized expert on the topic of lightning, recently reported in a Villages-News.com article that 18 homes in The Villages have suffered damaging lightning strikes in the past 15 years. In addition to reporting on lightning protection systems, Hathaway also reported on personal lightning safety and the damage that can be caused in homes by indirect lighting strikes.
