CLAREMORE, Okla. -- Firefighters put out a couple of house fires Wednesday morning, and they're now trying to figure if lightning sparked the flames.
A woman called Claremore firefighters at about 7:30 a.m. after hearing a loud boom. The exploding sound reportedly came from a bolt of lightning that struck the edge of her roof.
Claremore Fire Marshal Jason Crandall said the lightning tore a hole in the roof, blew off some shingles and started a small fire in the attic.
"We've only had a handful of lightning strike structure fires," he said, "that have been severe over the past eight to nine years that I can attest to."
John Roberts owns the house struck by lightning. He said the damage appears to be minimal, but it may keep out the couple who lived there for a few weeks.
"(Lightning) has never hit this house before," Roberts said. "This house has been here at least 70 years."
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