No Injures When Bitterroot House Burns After Lightning Strike

A home in the northern Bitterroot Valley is a complete loss today after it was struck by lightning and burned to the ground Monday evening.

The fire was so intense, and in an area with no fire hydrants, that Florence firefighters needed help from all over the county to extinguish the flames, and keep the blaze from spreading in the extremely dry conditions.

Fortunately, no one was injured, either from the lightning strike, or the fire.

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Most damaging strike Monday night

Florence Rural Fire District Public Information Officer John Ames tells me the fire started shortly after a strike on Lower Woodchuck Road, which is in the 8-mile Creek area northeast of Florence. Neighbors were calling to report the strike, and the house was already fully engulfed in flames.

"We had fire units on the scene about 8 minutes later," Ames explains. "We talked to the caretaker who had just left before the lightning strike. And she confirmed that, yes, as she was leaving, there was a very large strike in the area. She didn't look around to see where it went, but then about 5 minutes later, that's when the neighbors started calling in the fire."

A lack of water

Ames says the biggest challenge wasn't the weather, but trying to keep the fire from spreading with limited water.

"We had units from Pinedale, Corvallis, Victor Stevensville, Three Mile, Florence, and Missoula Rural all sending water tenders since we don't have any hydrants in that area."

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Home destroyed

Ames says it took hours to control the fire and then 4-hours more on the scene to completely extinguish the blaze.

Sadly, pets and animals were lost and Ames says the firefighters' prayers are with the family who, fortunately with the lightning strike, weren't home as they were traveling in Florida.

Lightning danger

Ames says the fire shows the destructive power of lightning, which can be especially hazardous in Montana this time of the year.

"A lot of people I think feel that there's not gonna happen to me, but it can happen anywhere," Ames says. "While we were fighting the fire, we had three other calls. All lightning caused. 2 trees that were struck by lightning and one power pole. So it's just not a rare occasion that it has struck the house. When this lightning out there it can cause havoc for everybody."