North Texas

Lightning Suspected Cause of Haslet House Fire

The storms that moved through North Texas Wednesday night put on an impressive lightning show. That lightning appears to have sparked a house fire in Haslet.

"This is my home," said John Hipolito, looking at the two-story house on Hawks Landing Road with firefighters surrounding it. "Kind of a tough night."

Hipolito said he was home watching television news storm coverage when the lightning hit.

"Heard a large bang, sounded like an explosion," he explained. "My son was up top, and he smelled the smoke and said, 'Hey Dad, it smells like something burning.'"

Your Lightning Photos - March 23, 2016

Hipolito called 911 and got his family safely out of the house.

The storms that moved through brought high winds, driving rain, hail and lightning. The National Weather Service received reports of golf ball-sized hail in East Plano.

Firefighters said they were investigating whether it was, in fact, lightning that caused the fire at the Haslet home.

Hipolito shook his head as he looked at the charred upstairs floor of his home and firefighter's ladder leading to the area.

Your Hail Photos - March 23, 2016

"No one was hurt. My main concern was for my family," he said. "Everyone got out safe."

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