South Fort Myers homeowners speaks after lightning strike causes fire

The life of a homeowner changed in a flash on Wednesday night after her home was struck by lightning.

The lightning struck the top of the Fawn Ridge Drive home in south Fort Myers during Wednesday night storms.

She said she doesn’t know where to live, but her message is to grab the people you love a little tighter because it could happen to everyone.

“I still am at a loss for words,” Jen Schmidt said. “What are the chances of getting struck by lightning? On the roof? Direct hit?”

Wednesday night was meant to be a date night for Jen and her husband.

“We went to Maks Sushi,” she said.

The couple returned home just after 7 p.m. when she started smelling smoke.

“I went around back and started seeing smoke coming from the roof. I called 911, went around the front and that’s when I started seeing flames,” Schmidt said.

The family has a 4-year-old and a 6-year-old, but luckily, they were not home.

“We’re hoping you know within the year we’ll be able to move back in,” Schmidt said.

It was the second time this week that a home in Southwest Florida has caught fire thanks to a lightning strike.

On Tuesday, an Armsdale Ave. home caught fire in Charlotte County.