TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) — A dramatic ordeal unfolded for Marlene Grenier as she rushed to safety when her Tampa home was struck by lightning during a fierce storm. The incident left her in the dark, but her quick thinking saved her from a potentially disastrous situation.
As the storm raged outside, Grenier stood at her front window with her dog, watching the tempest. Suddenly, a deafening crash shook the house, prompting fears of a collapse.
“I was standing in my front window over there, my dog was standing next to me, we were watching the storm out the window, and it sounded like a bomb hit our house, the house shook, I thought the house was coming down,” Grenier recounted.
The lightning strike triggered her smoke detectors and plunged her home into darkness. Grenier, guided by the smell of smoke, ventured upstairs to investigate. To her shock, she discovered parts of her ceiling had crashed onto her bedroom floor.
“Started walking upstairs and smelled smoke and then I freaked out, I saw parts of my ceiling were all over the floor in the bedroom, so then I called 911 and the Tampa Fire Department was here in no time,” she said.
The aftermath of the lightning strike left her bedroom in disarray, with ceiling debris scattered across the floor. The lingering scent of smoke added to the chaos.
“I was freaking out because I have animals in the house, and I was like ‘Oh my god, I need to get the cats and the dog out,'” Grenier explained.
In addition to the ceiling damage, parts of the roof were blown off, and fragments were strewn across the backyard. Despite the ordeal, Grenier expressed relief that her nearly 100-year-old house, built in 1926, did not succumb to the flames.
“It’s crazy, we’ve had this house for two years and we love this house, we’re obsessed with it, I’m very sad that it got hit by lightning, but I am glad it’s still doing OK, this house is almost 100 years old, built in 1926, would’ve been a shame if it burned down,” she said.
Grenier and her husband, who was not at home during the incident, are thankful to be safe and grateful that their cherished home remains intact.
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