Lightning strikes skylight, sparks ‘freak’ house fire

Firefighters in Steinbach responded to a “freak” house fire Wednesday night after lightning struck a home and arced through a skylight, causing the kitchen floor to catch fire.

The Steinbach Fire Department responded to the incident around 11 p.m., and arrived to find the home on Prairie Crescent filled with smoke. Crews quickly extinguished the fire, and launched an investigation, Fire Chief Kel Toews said Thursday.

“We determined that lightning had struck a skylight that was on the roof. The lightning travelled down the metal piping in the attic space and then exited at the bottom of that piping and struck the kitchen floor,” Toews said.

“I don’t think there were any precautionary measures they could have taken. It was just a freak accident.”

A spring storm battered southern Manitoba.

One person was in the home, but they were in a different room at the time of the strike. Nobody was injured, Toews said.

The incident damaged the kitchen flooring, cabinetry, ceiling and attic. There is also smoke damage throughout the house, the chief said.

“There was actually no damage to the skylight itself on the roof. It basically just travelled down the metal piping,” he said. “That surprised me.”

Toews said he has responded to lightning fires in the past, but has never seen one quite like this.

“It was strange,” he said.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued additional warnings for severe thunderstorms for parts of southeastern Manitoba Thursday night.

tyler.searle@freepress.mb.ca