Fire investigators believe lightning is to blame for a fire that destroyed a home in Denton County on Wednesday night.
The Shanks family noticed the fire after one of the children told her father she thought someone was in the attic of their Lantana. After initially dismissing her claims, Louis Shanks went to check.
"At that point, I look up, and I could hear the crackling of the fire, and she's standing right next to me with my 3-year-old," he said. "I grab them and started running out of the house."
The family rushed out of the house. But as they were running out, neighbors ran in and grabbed photos and personal items.
"The selfless act for our neighbors to come in and help us like that was just incredible," Shanks said.
Shanks said he believes the house is a total loss, but he and his family remains upbeat.
"It's just stuff," he said. "I give thanks to God that my children are safe, my wife is safe. I told my daughter she's a hero because she's the one who notified my son and me that there was a problem and she didn't take 'no' for a reason to stop."
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Shanks said he had earlier joked about lightning hitting their house. He said he and one of his children saw a lightning strike while driving home and jokingly said it had hit their house.
