VIDEO: A late-night lightning storm lit up the skies over Apopka on Sunday, allegedly sparking several house fires โ including one that nearly burned a home on Rock Hill Loop to the ground. Neighbors say the storm was intense and sudden, with rapid bursts of thunder and lightning striking dangerously close together. “It was like a really long strike, and I knew it hit a house,” said Jeff Dehollander, who witnessed one of the lightning strikes firsthand.
Steve Preston, another neighbor, described the fire as something out of a movie. “The lightning was just incredibly crazy last night. It was popping all around. Never heard anything quite like it before,” he said. “It was like fully engulfed. And nobody hereโฆ so I called 911, but I guess theyโd already gotten another call.”
According to Apopka fire officials, crews responded to at least three homes hit by lightning during the storm. In addition to the home on Rock Hill Loop, fires or damage were also reported on Offaly Court and Alexandria Place Drive. “It was crazy, it lasted quite a few hours, and the lightning was like right on top of each other,” said Allison Keys, a resident near one of the other strikes. “That was really scary โ thatโs eye-opening. I guess I didnโt realizeโฆ I mean I knew it could happen, but itโs scary.”
