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Lightning strike sparks Elk River house fire
A homeowner was left reeling by an act of God that left his home seriously damaged.
ELK RIVER, Minn. (FOX 9) - As a carpenter by trade, Bob Bostrom built his dream house by hand nearly 25 years ago. But seeing the home on 192 1/2 Street in Elk River where he and his wife raised their children become a burned-out shell is almost too much to take.
"Watching it go up in smoke was pretty rough. A lot of emotion. A lot of tears," said Bostrom.
What happened?
Bostrom says the couple had just gotten home from dinner around 7:30 p.m. Monday when lightning struck a dormer on the front of the house, sending part of the ceiling and a light fixture to the living room floor.
"Sparks flying everywhere. Wood trim flying everywhere. The TV in front of me blew up. I had just turned it on," said Bostrom.
Bostrom ran outside and noticed first smoke and then flames in the attic, so he grabbed a garden hose to try and keep the fire at bay.
His wife Terri was burned on the leg by melted wire insulation when she went back into the house to get their three dogs, who were hiding in a bedroom closet.
"I feel like it's still surreal. I can physically see what happened, but my mind doesn't think it really happened," said Terri.
Bostrom says that in no time, the roof was engulfed in flames, and firefighters had to truck in water from a block away because there were no hydrants on their cul-de-sac.
What's left?
Emergency responders salvaged some prized possessions.
"Her father's ashes, my brother's ashes. some pictures, some jewelry. Momentos like that," said Bostrom.
But between the fire, smoke, and water damage. Bostrom says the home is a total loss.
What's next?
"I knew it was gone. I knew this is it. They ain't going to stop this," said Bostrom.
Bostrom says they plan to rebuild on the same spot because what are the chances lightning would strike twice.
A handful of firefighters were evaluated for heat exhaustion while battling that blaze, but none needed further treatment.