Lightning Strikes: Damage Repair Tips

4/24/2021 (Permalink)

This photo of Wakefield's First Baptist Church from The Boston Globe shows the true extent of the damage a lightening strike can do.

A rain, lightning, and thunderstorm can be soothing and peaceful to watch, but that sense of peace can quickly leave if a bolt of lightning strikes your house. You’ll hear it with a sound that’s akin to an explosion, and your power will most likely go out. 

What do you do after lightning strikes your house and you’ve ensured that no one in your house has been hurt? The first thing you need to do is see if that lightning storm has caused a fire in your house. You’ll either see the fire or smell smoke or a burnt, charred smell. 

If either is the case, get out of your house safely and call the fire department to handle the situation. Once you’re able to be safely back in the house, you’ll want to take care of the resulting smoke and soot damage by hiring a fire damage restoration expert, like SERVPRO. 

If there isn’t a fire, there may still be an impact to the wiring in your house from the bolt of lightning. Look for any of these issues of wiring issues in your house, and have an electrician take a look ASAP to prevent a house fire: 

• A burning smell, electronic burning odor, or odd odor near your outlets. This is one of the primary warning signals of faulty wiring. If you smell a pungent burning aroma, turn off the power immediately and call an electrician. The electricity may have arced inside the panel, causing a scorched electrical outlet. 
• Flickering or dimming lights. 
• An outlet that’s hot to the touch. Your electrical outlet and light switch should never be hot when you touch it. 

If you need help with your lightning storm damage restoration, especially if it resulted in a fire, take a look at the steps of our fire damage restoration process, which includes removal of soot and smoke from all surfaces. Contact us here at SERVPRO of Stoneham / Wakefield for an assessment of your fire damage in Massachusetts.