BENTONVILLE — A lightning strike sparked a fire at a home at 1508 N.E. Benjamin Greens in the Allencroft subdivision early Wednesday, a fire official said.
No one was home at the time, said Division Chief James Birchfield with the Bentonville Fire Department. The family was on vacation and will return today after learning their two-story home is a total loss, he said.
The home likely was struck by lightning about 2 a.m., Birchfield said.
“The fire started in a small phase,” Birchfield 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. Flames licked through the roof by the time firefighters arrived, Birchfield said. The fire was completely out by 5:53 a.m. Thirty-nine firefighters helped put out the fire.
A home to the south of the incident was damaged by heat from the burning home, Birchfield said.