Fayetteville firefighter hospitalized after fire caused by lightning

Corey Williams
Corey Williams

FAYETTEVILLE — A Fayetteville firefighter remained at the hospital Tuesday in the wake of a house fire caused by a summer storm that rolled through part of Washington County on Monday morning, officials said Tuesday.

Corey Williams was at Washington Regional Medical Center with some fluid in his lungs Tuesday. He was exposed to thick smoke during a house fire at 10:45 a.m. Monday at 2315 E. Sweetbriar Drive, said Battalion Chief Mauro Campos, spokesman.

Campos said Williams was expected to be released from the hospital Tuesday, and Gina Maddox, a spokeswoman for the hospital, said Williams was not listed there just before 2 p.m.

Two adults and three children were home Monday morning when a lightning strike near or on their home ignited the fire, Campos said. One of the family’s dogs died in the blaze, Campos said.

No one else was hurt, he said. The family escaped with three dogs, but two cats were unaccounted for, he said.

The fire and damages from fighting the fire severely damaged the home, which Campos said is likely a total loss. The American Red Cross is helping the family, Campos said.

The fire was one of two thought to have started from lightning strikes, officials said Tuesday.

Another house fire near the Wedington area may have been caused by lightning, said John Luther, county emergency management department. The fire happened around the same time as the storm, he said.

The storm caused other problems for emergency officials and drivers, Campos said. About 3 inches of rain fell in parts of Fayetteville in less than 15 minutes, flooding ditches and causing flooding and vehicle wrecks, he said.

At least one person ended up in a ditch along Millsap Road with the driver’s seat completely submerged in water, Campos said.

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