Lightning strike destroys rural garage

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This article was published 13/08/2009 (6172 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If lightning’s gotta strike your property, it could have picked a worse spot, says a homeowner near Oakbank whose garage went up in flames Wednesday night.

“We have two other buildings on our property and both of them are taller,” said Debbie Champagne, who was asleep with her husband, Bruce, when a bolt came out of the blue at about 11:20 p.m.

“I feel very fortunate.”

The Champagnes’ 2½-storey house at on Hillside Road in the RM of Springfield was untouched, as was their barn, where they keep horses.

Their 14-year-old son, Lucas, was also in the house with them. They did not wake up until after the fire trucks arrived.

The stand-alone garage, which serves as a storage area for their garden equipment and horse feed, is a total write-off. But Champagne says their insurance should cover the loss.

Neighbour Ted Grant captured pictures of the fire because he had been photographing last night’s lightning storm. When he saw the glow of the fire, he jumped in his car and raced over. Another neighbour had already call the fire department.