Lightning bolt strikes home in LaGrange County, damages house

NOW: Lightning bolt strikes home in LaGrange County, damages house
NEXT:

LAGRANGE COUNTY, Ind. -- A homeowner in Northern LaGrange County now has to deal with the damage her home suffered after a bolt of lightning struck the roof.

From the outside, Patricia and Stanley Sims’ home may have looked like it needed some roof repairs.

But it’s once you’re inside that you can see the extent of the damage.

“Bad storms, and I didn’t realize they were coming. And I just thought ‘oh, it’s going to rain,’” said Patricia Sims. “But suddenly, and this was while at dusk, a boom hit the house and we didn’t know what it was.

Sims and her husband, Stanley, were just sitting in their living room when suddenly; strangers that were driving on State Road 120 started knocking at their doors.

“They say smoke coming from the roof, they stopped and just started beating on the doors,” said Stanley Sims.

“Complete. Complete stranger and he had a fire previously at one time. And he just took us right in his hand,” said Patricia Sims.

Thankfully, the Sims and their two dogs were able to make it out in time.

Not much is left of what used to be the master bedroom.

Pieces of ashes can be seen across the floor and the ceiling fan is at arm’s length as the ceiling itself has caved in.

The upstairs is where Patricia Sims has made quilts since her husband and she moved into the house.

Not everything was saved, but she’s hoping she can salvage some of her quilts.

“These are my handmade quilts that I’ve made for years. Got a little dirty from the fire, but we are so thankful they’re not destroyed,” said Sims. “So, it has a lot of emotional value, and I’m so thankful that they didn’t get totally destroyed in those upstairs bedrooms.”

Sims says she is thankful she and her husband had insurance on their home and encourages everyone that does not have home insurance to get it as she never thought she would need it.

Share this article: