Apparent lightning strike hits Hall County house

GAINESVILLE - Hall County firefighters responded to a house fire in the 6100 block of Old Dahlonega Highway around 6:20 p.m. Monday, believed to have been the result of a lightning strike.

According to Hall County Fire Chief David Kimbrell, the 5,000-square foot home had heavy fire showing from the rear of the building when emergency workers arrived on scene.

"The fire was coming from the basement area. They attacked it in that area and were able to extinguish the fire relatively quickly," he said.

Kimbrell said the basement suffered heavy fire damage, while the home's upper floors were damaged by heat and smoke. He added: "The structure was valued around $400,000, and we believe between 250 and 300,000 in damage was done."

While the entire family that occupied the home was able to escape safely and without incident, Kimbrell noted that there was a fatality as a result of the fire, saying, "We did locate a family pet that was deceased in the fire; the cat was located in the basement area."

Red Cross aid was offered to the family, but according to Kimbrell all assistance was refused.