SPOKANE — A powerful thunderstorm brought around 40,000 lightning strikes to the Inland Northwest Thursday night, along with strong winds, rain and hail. Two of those strikes caused significant damage to residential buildings in the Spokane area.
An apartment building near the Logan neighborhood was struck by lightning during the storm.
Trena Pearson lives in the building and was woken up by the lightning strike.
“I’ve never heard a bomb go off, but if there’s anything to compare that sound to, it was like a bomb went off,” Pearson said.
The troubles didn’t end with the lightning strike. Moments after the lightning damaged the roof, either rainwater or a broken pipe started flooding Pearson’s apartment.
“The house started filling up with water. Water was coming out of all of our light fixtures. All of the cupboards had water just draining out like a waterfall. It was crazy,” Pearson said.
Pearson says repairs are underway and she’ll be able to return home soon.
In Spokane Valley, lightning caused an attic fire at a brand new 14-unit apartment complex. The building had just been completed.
“They just finished swinging the hammer. Putting the last nail on this week. It’s all done. Ready to go. People were super excited to move in,” said John Kapelac, the building’s insurance representative.
The complex was empty when the fire started, so no one was hurt. But neighbors said the lightning strike shook them.
Dana Hunt, who lives nearby, heard the strike.
“I heard this big old boom. And then I heard, like, my whole upstairs apartment just started rattling out it was an earthquake,” Hunt said.
Emily Corbitt, another neighbor, called 911 when she heard a boom.
“I felt it in my bones and I thought for sure it was a tree that had been hit nearby. So, we ran out on the porch, and we could see flames coming out of this apartment,” Corbitt said.
Spokane Valley firefighters put out the fire within minutes. The experience left neighbors grateful that no one was hurt.
“I just thought, okay, that could have been our house. It was three houses away, and my kids were really scared. But thankfully everyone’s okay,” Corbitt said.
Firefighters say there have been only four lightning-related home fires in the Spokane area since 2019. Two of them occurred during Thursday’s thunderstorm.
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