Lightning Destroys 25-Foot Chimney On Brentwood Home
BRENTWOOD (KDKA) - Sunday's storms literally hit home for a Brentwood family as lightning struck their chimney and sent it tumbling to the ground.
The chimney at a home in the 4300-block of Brownsville Road crumbled to the ground shortly after the strike.
"This is what is left of my chimney and my neighbor's roof," Jeff Healy said.
Healy couldn't believe his eyes when he looked around his home. The chimney was now a pile of bricks scattered all around the house after lightning struck it in the middle of a late afternoon downpour.
"My 16-year-old daughter, who will be 17 in two days, calls me, 'Dad, lightning hit the chimney and there's bricks everywhere and there's water in the house. I don't know what to do,'" Healy said.
His daughter had been watching the rain when the strike happened.
"Boom, and then the doors popped open. The glass doors to the fireplace just blew open and smoke started coming out," Healy said.
Neighbors and the Brentwood Fire Department responded quickly as Healy was on the road driving back from West Virginia. When he got home, he simply couldn't believe what was left of the chimney.
"I was amazed. I mean, the chimney was, it was like a 25, 30-foot tall chimney. I just took a picture of it the other day," Healy said.
The reason he took a picture was because of another storm and he wanted to capture the dark clouds. Looking back, he's just glad no one was hurt. The damage to the home and the roof can all be repaired.
"The hand of God just was watching over her. We're so truly blessed," Healy said.
The good news is that there were no injuries. But, there was significant damage to the roof, the chimney and the roof of the home next-door.
After an evaluation, the structure of the home was not affected.
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