Residents living in a Golden Gate Estates neighborhood are reminding others of the importance to stay indoors when thunder roars.
Beth Amico’s pine tree caught fire a few years ago from a lightning strike. She quickly grabbed a hose and soaked the trees in her yard.
“All of a sudden, I heard a massive explosion. What I can only imagine a grenade sounds like,” Amico said.
And just a few days ago in the same area, resident Elmer Bauers III was watching television in his living room when lightning struck nearby.
“It was a boom, not a bang,” Elmer Bauers said.
Bauers stepped outside to find slashes on the bark of a large pine tree.
“It goes down the tree, like a candy cane stripe,” Elmer Bauers said.
“A tree can survive, but a person can’t. When they’re struck by lightning, something fatal happens,” said Elmer’s wife, Janet Bauers, who once lost a relative to a lightning strike.
The Greater Naples Fire Rescue District offers the following tips to protect your home:
- Use rods and surge protectors.
- Unplug electronics and appliances during a storm.
- Clear rain gutters and roofs from debris.
- Remove large trees near your home.