'Everything is ruined and burned': Georgia family home destroyed by lightning strike

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Lightning strike destroys home in Georgia

A lightning strike set a home on fire in Lawrenceville, Georgia during Wednesday's severe weather outbreak in the Southeast. (Video: FOX 5 Atlanta)

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. - Fire officials blame thunderstorms that rolled through Georgia Wednesday night for a house fire in Lawrenceville.

One lightning bolt struck a home around 11:40 p.m. Wednesday, sparking a fire that eventually destroyed the home.

"We are fortunate and unfortunate," Sonam Shah told FOX 5 Atlanta. "This is our childhood house for 32 years. It’s very sad. My parents lost everything. Everything inside is ruined and burned."

Luckily her parents weren't home.

"The lightning struck right in the master bedroom," Shah said.

Vincent Conley lives across the street and says he rushed out to help.

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"All of a sudden, you hear a boom. It was a big boom. You saw the lighting too, and that tells you it was close. It was too close. Way too close for comfort," Vincent Conley told FOX 5 Atlanta. "Everyone was concerned. Nobody knew if they were home or not because both of their cars were in the garage. We didn’t know."

The couple returned Thursday after traveling for a cruise, and fire officials say it would have been a different story if they were inside the home.

"They never go anywhere. They are homebody people," Shah said. "Literally last night, my mother called and asked about the storms and I said everything is fine, and I think as soon as we hung up, that’s when the lightning struck the bedroom."

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The bolt that hit the home was one of over 120 that struck within 5 miles of the house around the time of the fire, according to Chris Vagasky with Vaisala. 

There were about 1,000 strikes within 20 miles of the home.

The thunderstorms were part of a two-day severe weather outbreak across the Gulf Coast and Southeast. On Tuesday, several tornadoes touched down in Georgia and South Carolina.

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The region is finally getting a break from the stormy weather this weekend.

But for the Shah family, it's a weekend to continue to salvage what they can from the charred remnants of their home.

"You have more chances winning the lottery than being struck by lightning, so it’s very sad," Shah said.