Thunder roars, stay indoors: Collier neighborhood reacts to lightning dangers

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.