A tree being knocked down after being struck by lightning was determined to be the cause of a house fire in southwest Omaha early Tuesday morning. A report from the Omaha Fire Department says crews responded to the scene near 157th and T streets just after midnight Tuesday morning.
At the scene, crews shut down the gas line and found the fire in the home in the basementโs celling by the gas line. The residents were outside when crews got there. Crews also investigated a gas leak in a neighboring house, and shut down the other gas line.
It was determined that lightning struck a tree in the front yard of one the the homes, knocking the tree down and disrupting the gas lines. MUD was on location to mitigate the gas leak when fire crews went back into service. Damages to the home are estimated to be $35,000.
