TAMPA, FLA. (WSVN) - A lightning strike destroyed a Florida couple’s home and claimed the life of their beloved pet.
Two weeks ago, Tim and Macy Osman were out with their friends and seven month old baby when a thunderstorm rolled through their neighborhood.
Unbeknownst to them, this would be no ordinary thunderstorm as it would alter their family dynamic.
“I got a notification from our baby monitor camera saying that the nursery was like, 86 degrees. We don’t keep our house at 86 degrees,” said Tim.
Puzzled by the high temperature inside the home, the couple rushed home only to find that the house they called home for nearly three years was engulfed in smoke and flames with their two dogs trapped inside.
“Fear, devastated,” are the words Tim used to describe his feelings in the moment. “I found both of them. They were both not breathing.”
Gus, their 7-year-old Mastiff Boxer mix, was able to make it after the couple did their best to perform CPR on the dogs, but Gwen, their 1-year-old Cane Corso, did not survive despite their best efforts to save her.
“We started doing maybe dog CPR, whatever we could, you know, blowing into their nose and pushing on their chest, one of the pups did come back,” said Tim. “All of a sudden I hear Macy screaming, ‘Gus is up, Gus is up,’ so yeah, he came back and then unfortunately couldn’t get Gwen,” said Tim.
The Osmans said the cause of the fire reportedly stemmed from a lightning strike that sent a power surge through the house setting the living room ablaze.
A report from their insurance company confirmed their suspicions and indicated that there was a lightning strike within a mile of their home.
“They believe that the fan above the couch is what sparked and fell down onto the couch and lit the couch on fire,” said Tim.
While everything on the outside of the home seemed alright, the inside of the house was a complete loss.
“We have a two story house and everything’s black on the inside, melted soot all over the walls, all over the floors, over every item we own, so it’ll be down to the studs in a complete rebuild.”
They said money can replace all the items that were lost in the house during the fire, but it won’t be able to bring back their beloved Gwen.
Tuesday afternoon Tim placed flowers in front of the home, where a memorial was created in honor of Gwen.
“It’s the only thing we’re missing, right?” said Tim.
“It’s all just stuff, I wish we had her,” Macy added.
“Our dogs are family, you know, she’s irreplaceable, so that one hurts,” said Tim
The Osmans hope to inspire other home owners with their story, advising others to be intentional with notifications and to get a camera with a heat sensor.
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