Neighbors watched thick smoke and flames consume a Port St. Lucie home after it caught fire Friday evening during a storm.The fire happened on Bellevue Avenue. Video captured by a nearby resident shows flames coming from the home as smoke billowed into the neighborhood. Neighbor Leigh Michele said she was inside talking with a friend while listening to thunder from a storm moving through the area when she heard what she believes was a lightning strike.”I heard the lightning strike. It took out the internet and power briefly, so I knew it was around here. I happened to look at my cameras, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that house across the street is on fire,'” she said. When she looked outside, Michele said the scene was overwhelming.”I looked out the door. I’m like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ The area was filled with smoke,” she said.Another neighbor, Glenn Doyle, said he also heard a loud crack during the storm but didn’t initially realize what had happened.”I heard a loud crack, and it sounded like it came from the front of our house. Didn’t think anything of it,” Doyle said.Moments later, someone knocked on his door.”It was a woman across the street. She had a child with her crying and said her house is on fire,” Doyle said.He looked across the street and quickly realized how serious the situation had become. “There was smoke pouring out from the roof of the house, so I let her in, and I called 911 right away,” he said.Doyle said the woman and child waited inside his home while firefighters responded.”She was pretty upset. She was crying. I didn’t see any flames. I just saw a lot of smoke, and it was filling the whole neighborhood with smoke,” Doyle told WPBF.Firefighters spent hours working to extinguish the blaze.A spokesperson for the St. Lucie County Fire District said the cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office.While officials have not confirmed what sparked the fire, WPBF 25 meteorologists found that radar detected approximately 100 lightning strikes across St. Lucie County around the time the fire began.WPBF 25 News has reached out to the fire district for additional information on the investigation and will provide updates as they become available.Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. —
Neighbors watched thick smoke and flames consume a Port St. Lucie home after it caught fire Friday evening during a storm.
The fire happened on Bellevue Avenue. Video captured by a nearby resident shows flames coming from the home as smoke billowed into the neighborhood.
Neighbor Leigh Michele said she was inside talking with a friend while listening to thunder from a storm moving through the area when she heard what she believes was a lightning strike.
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“I heard the lightning strike. It took out the internet and power briefly, so I knew it was around here. I happened to look at my cameras, and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, that house across the street is on fire,'” she said.
When she looked outside, Michele said the scene was overwhelming.
“I looked out the door. I’m like, ‘Oh, my goodness.’ The area was filled with smoke,” she said.
Another neighbor, Glenn Doyle, said he also heard a loud crack during the storm but didn’t initially realize what had happened.
“I heard a loud crack, and it sounded like it came from the front of our house. Didn’t think anything of it,” Doyle said.
Moments later, someone knocked on his door.
“It was a woman across the street. She had a child with her crying and said her house is on fire,” Doyle said.
He looked across the street and quickly realized how serious the situation had become.
“There was smoke pouring out from the roof of the house, so I let her in, and I called 911 right away,” he said.
Doyle said the woman and child waited inside his home while firefighters responded.
“She was pretty upset. She was crying. I didn’t see any flames. I just saw a lot of smoke, and it was filling the whole neighborhood with smoke,” Doyle told WPBF.
Firefighters spent hours working to extinguish the blaze.
A spokesperson for the St. Lucie County Fire District said the cause of the fire has not been determined and remains under investigation by the Fire Marshal’s Office.
While officials have not confirmed what sparked the fire, WPBF 25 meteorologists found that radar detected approximately 100 lightning strikes across St. Lucie County around the time the fire began.
WPBF 25 News has reached out to the fire district for additional information on the investigation and will provide updates as they become available.
Stay up-to-date: The latest headlines and weather from WPBF 25
Get the latest news updates with the WPBF 25 News app. You can download it here.
Your neighborhood: Local coverage from WPBF 25 News