CATAWBA COUNTY, N.C. — Sherills Ford Firefighters responded to reports of heavy smoke from a home on Summitt Ridge Drive around 5:45 p.m. Sunday.
According to Assistant Chief Jason Boggs, firefighters found fire in the attic and on the first floor of the home.
No one was inside at the time of the fire.
Six additional fire departments responded, which included Bandy, Catawba, Denver, Mooresville, Oxford, and Claremont.
Additional crews brought tankers filled with water because there weren't any fire hydrants in the neighborhood.
Neighbors recalled severe storms and lightning in the area at the time of the fire. One person said he witnessed the lightning strike, and described it as a "big, bright white light."
"My wife screamed and I came upstairs," he said. "I don't know what it hit but it's really close."
Officials have not released a cause, but said weather is a possibility.
The Catawba County Fire Marshall's Office is leading the investigation.
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