Lightning possible cause of Clyde house fire

CLYDE

Lightning may have sparked a fire that destroyed a family’s home just south of Clyde on Wednesday afternoon.

Homeowner Jack Cook said he was in a bedroom putting his two boys down for a nap just after 2 p.m. when he heard a loud boom at the back of the two-story house. He then heard rain dripping on the ceiling.

A neighbor who spotted the fire first called the fire department then ran over to make sure the family was OK. 

Cook grabbed the boys, ages 2 and 4, and hurried out the door. 

“When we came out the back door there was smoke — lots of smoke,” Cook said. 

“Everybody’s all right,” Cook said, still looking shaken as he watched firefighters cover the roof of his home at 3626 County Road 195. The fire left a gaping hole over the second story. 

Clyde fire Capt. John Van Doren said firefighters from Clyde and Green Springs wanted to make sure rain storms didn’t cause further damage to the unprotected interior of the home. He estimated damage from the fire to be substantial — at least $150,000. 

Doren said the department will continue investigating the cause of the blaze.

Firefighters dragged surviving valuables to undamaged parts of the home and covered the roof with tarps. Rain poured down intermittently as lightning flickered in nearby storm clouds. 

Cook said his family, including his wife, who was at work when the fire broke out, will stay with family until they can make other housing arrangements.