Lightning strikes Gulfport home, ignites attic

Neighbors reported a Sunday afternoon lightning strike that caused an attic fire of a home in the 3100 block of Kimberly Drive in Gulfport.

Gulfport Firefighter Chris Henderson said the woman who owned the home was at the movies when it hit, and neighbors called the fire department when they saw smoke coming from the roof.

The Gulfport Fire Department had the fire out in about 15 minutes after arriving at the scene. Because no one was home, they had to break in to fight the fire.

The homeowner returned home while firefighters were still on the scene, he said, but because they had to cut power to the house and because of the smoke damage, she won't be able to stay at the home on Sunday night.

They called Red Cross for temporary quarters.

More than 20 firefighters and an investigator responded to the home around 4 p.m.

This story was originally published July 10, 2016 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Lightning strikes Gulfport home, ignites attic."