Lightning blamed for 3 Fires in OC

Lightning is being blamed for three early morning fires in Oconee County. “About 15 minutes to 7am this morning, we started getting a number of calls related to the storm. We responded to a report of a house fire on Durham Brown Road in the Friendship Community. Firefighters responded there and found a small fire in the home from what appeared to be a lightning strike to the residence. Shortly after that fire, they were dispatched to Greenfield Road in the Westminster area for another reported house fire. They arrived on scene to find a home well involved in fire. Firefighters from four fire stations worked for about 30 minutes to bring the fire under control and right after that one began was another fire on Jocassee Ridge Road, just north of Salem off Highway 11. That fire appeared to have been from a lightning strike as well that caused a gas leak inside the house. It was extinguished by the home owner and fire officials looked through the house to make sure there wasn’t any fire spread inside the home.” Oconee County Fire Chief Charlie King says no one was injured in the three fires and the only significant fire was on Greenfield Road that destroyed the home.