Lightning strikes Southlake and Colleyville homes during North Texas storms
Monday's storms in North Texas caused concern for residents in Southlake and Colleyville after two homes were hit by lightning.
In Southlake, resident Shailendra Saksena captured photos of his neighbor's home on fire after it was struck by lightning. Saksena lives four homes away from the house that caught fire, near the intersection of Monte Carlo Drive and La Mans Lane.
"We lived in Fort Worth before, and we have never seen this kind of fire caused by lightning before," said Saksena, who has lived in the Carillon neighborhood for 10 years. "I saw the smoke coming out of the house, and then within 30 seconds or so, about four or five trucks and a police truck came."
On Tuesday, an insurance adjuster was at the damaged home surveying the property, which had extensive damage to the roof. Saksena said this is the third time a home on the same block has been hit by lightning in the last five years.
"It is really scary, but we don't know why," he said. "Something has to be down there, but the same road is being hit."
CBS News Texas Chief Meteorologist Scott Padgett said multiple factors can play into why an area is more likely to get hit by lightning than others. Padgett said lightning always looks for the highest point of contact it can find.
"With all these storms coming through, if they have really high rooftops, and they're the highest thing around the surrounding areas, they're going to attract that lightning more than a lower object that's close by," said Padgett.
Padgett added that it also depends on the severity of the storm. Saksena isn't taking any risks. He installed lightning rods on the top of his home after the last strike, and so did many of his neighbors to prevent future damage. Saksena hopes others who haven't will consider it, too.
"I'm not an expert, but I will say if you can afford it, please put the lightning rods, so at least you can be with some peace of mind," he said.
