A lightning strike during an early-morning thunderstorm on Wednesday, July 19, caused a fire that damaged a house in the 1400 block of Durham Drive in the Providence subdivision in Herculaneum. One resident was home when the lightning struck the house, but no one was injured, Dunklin Fire Chief Brad Williams.
He said the Dunklin Fire Protection District got a call at 5:50 a.m. about the house fire. When they arrived, light smoke was coming from the front of the house.
The exterior of the home wasn’t damaged, but there was damage to the home’s electrical system, and there was fire damage to part of the basement and the first-floor living area. There was significant smoke damage throughout the house, Williams said.
He said the house is not habitable at this time.
Firefighters remained on the scene until 9:13 a.m.
The Herculaneum and Crystal City fire departments and the Antonia and Jefferson R-7 fire protection districts helped with the call. The Joachim-Plattin Ambulance District also responded to the scene.