Mandy Caspers felt her home shake beneath her feet Wednesday when lightning struck her house. She was terrified.
Then Thursday afternoon, her house caught fire. She met her husband Bruce Caspers and adopted daughter Rachel Morrow in the hallway — all three yelling they smelled smoke and to call 911.
“I ran out back to get the dogs, and there is smoke pouring out of both ends of the house,” she said, as she watched firefighters knock back the blaze. “I think, I'm losing my house. I can't believe this.”
Mustang firefighters doused the flames at 1024 S. Meadow Lane within an hour. Deputy Chief Roy Widmann said most of the home's damage is over the garage and called the house salvageable. He estimated damage at around $20,000.
“The guys did a fantastic job because when we got there, it was already blowing out of that north end, heavy heavy smoke,” he said.
Firefighters checked the home thoroughly Wednesday after the lightning strike and didn't find any problems, he said. The fire appeared to have started in the garage attic, which is the opposite end of the home from where the bolt hit. He said he couldn't conclusively connect the two incidents.
“It's possible,” he said. “It's tough to say. The heat could have done something to the wiring in the house from that jolt of lightning. It's tough for us to say it is related or not.”
Caspers was home with her 3-year- old grandson Korben Morrow when the lightning struck, and she said the boy was frightened. Doctors recently told Korben's family he is in remission from juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, a rare blood cancer that strips children of their immune systems and inflames their organs. He was diagnosed in January 2010 and underwent a bone marrow transplant.
Caspers said the boy has been through enough in his short life.
“It scared him to death, and now he doesn't want his shoes off,” she said. “It was so loud he wants his hands over his ears.”
Fortunately, the boy wasn't home at the time of the fire. Bruce Caspers said he feels fortunate everyone and their pets got out safely, and insurance will likely pay for repairs or reconstruction.
Mandy Caspers said she felt like their lives were finally getting back to normal, and she was enjoying arguing with Korben about typical kid stuff.