BENTONVILLE — A lightning strike sparked a fire at a home at 1508 Northeast Benjamin Greens in the Allencroft subdivision early Wednesday morning, fire officials said.
No one was home at the time, said Division Chief James Birchfield, fire marshal for the Bentonville Fire Department. The family has been on vacation and is returning today after learning their two-story home is a total loss.
Birchfield said the house was likely struck by lightning at about 2 a.m.
"The fire starts in a small phase," he said. "With no one being home, it had to vent through the roof for someone to see it."
A neighbor called in the fire at 5:03 a.m., and flames were licking through the roof by the time fire fighters arrived, Birchfield said.
The fire was completely out by 5:53 a.m. None of the 39 fire fighters who helped quelch the flames was injured.
A home located to the south of the burned house was damaged by heat from the burning building, he said.