DAVIE, FLA. (WSVN) - Flames and smoke shot through the roof of a mobile home in Davie after the family who lived inside said they felt a strike from the sky, leaving them without a place to call home.
Davie Fire Rescue responded to the scene of the blaze near Southwest 131st Terrace and Fifth Court, at around 4:30 p.m., Saturday.
Hours later, 7News captured Roy Vazquez, brought to tears as he assessed what was left of of his home.
Vazquez said he was inside at the time with his 13-year-old son, his longtime girlfriend and their two dogs when lightning hit their roof.
“This is like some sort of freak accident, it’s just lightning,” he said.
Vazquez said it happened during a downpour.
“Hanging out at home, regular Saturday afternoon, I heard a loud bang,” he said. “I thought it was the transformer, ’cause the power went out.”
Neighbors told 7News they also heard and felt the bang.
“It was really scary. The whole house was vibrating,” said a neighbor.
Cellphone video captured flames and smoke billowing from Vazquez’s home.
“I could smell the smoke, and I just got my son out and started grabbing what we could, got the dogs out and called 911,” he said.
It took crews about 40 minutes to put out the flames. They were not able to save the home.
Fire officials said lightning is possibly the cause, but as of late Saturday, they have not confirmed whether or not that was the case.
While he’s grateful that he and his family are safe, Vazquez said, they now have nowhere to live..
“We don’t really have any plans, juts salvage what we can and figure it out from there,” he said. “Other than that, you know, you just gotta take it on the chin, hoping for the best.”
Vazquez returned to his home on Sunday to see what little he could salvage.
Volunteers with the American Red Cross are helping out the family for the time being.
A GoFundMe page has been created to help Vazquez and his family. If you would like to make a donation, click here.
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