A Scottsdale couple is not sure where they are sleeping tonight, or for the next six months for that matter, after a lightning bolt tore through their home Sunday as powerful overnight storms raged on.
Scottsdale firefighters were on the scene around 5 a.m. and were combating an attic fire due to a lightning strike in the area of 78th Street and Chaparral Road.
Barb and Don Extrand were asleep in their bedroom when they heard a boom. Don, an Army veteran, says his instincts kicked in and knew that something was wrong.
"It was like a bomb," Don said. "It absolutely shook the house."
The couple, stirred awake, did not immediately know what happened but Don said within minutes they could smell a strange odor— worse than any normal fire.
"The smell and the smoke starting filling the whole house and it’s electrical so it’s very strong gets in your eyes nose mouth. It was bad," Don said. "People way down the street were smelling it as well— must have been blowing that way they came down."
The fire started in the attic, tearing through the roof. It continued to burn and destroyed the Extrand's kitchen. Don says the remodeled it just five years ago.
Don said officials told him it could be six months to a year before they are able to live in their home again. Though the damage left behind leaves the Extrands with uncertainty, they say they feel grateful that no one was injured.
"Obviously our lives are more important than the property," Don said.