A Waxahachie home caught fire Monday morning after it was struck by lightning, officials said.
WAXAHACHIE, Texas — A Waxahachie woman is crediting faith, quick thinking and love for her mother for helping them survive a fire sparked by a lightning strike that destroyed her home early Monday morning.
At about 6:30 a.m., as strong storms moved across North Texas, Helen Nash was asleep when thunder rattled her home. She initially thought the noise came from far away.
“It’s just like a boom when you hear something,” Nash said. “You think that it’s far off, but it’s actually your own home.”
Not long after, she began to smell something unusual.
“After laying there a few more minutes I started smelling something that was like a stench,” she said.
Sensing something was wrong, Nash rushed to wake her mother, who relies on oxygen, and helped her out the front door. Neighbors rushed to the home to make sure they got out safely. It was only once they were outside that she saw the full extent of what was happening.
“We could just see the house was just engulfed, on fire,” Nash said.
Video her neighbor captured of the home showed flames pouring from the roof and large streaks of lightning continuing to flash in the sky above.
According to Waxahachie Fire-Rescue, the fire in the 1500 block of Pierce Street was determined to have been caused by a lightning strike.
Though the home was quickly reduced to rubble, Nash and her mother made it out without injury.
“My house is on fire, so I run to get my mother to get up,” she said. “That was the most important thing. Nothing else mattered.”
“I’m just trying to hold it together,” she added. “But I’m ready to just explode on the inside. I’m just trying to be strong.”
Nash is relying on her faith and support from neighbors to get through the loss.
“Whatever happened here, God is in control of everything,” she said.
Amid the destruction, one priceless item survived: a family Bible that belonged to her parents. She credited fire crews for saving pictures of her late father.
Nash said she’s choosing to focus on what matters most: her and her mother’s safety, and the support of her community.
“I know that everything is gonna be fine,” she said.
As she gently locked the door behind her on what’s left of her home, Nash said she wasn’t closing the door on what was lost, but holding on to what remains.
Great Job & the Team @ WFAA RSS Feed: news Source link for sharing this story.
