Jennifer Robinson’s childhood home was struck by lightning Thursday night in the storm just as her family was healing after losing her father, David Bair, a year ago. Her father, mother and brother lived together here at their burned down house along Kiowa and Skelly in Haskell Oklahoma.
The lightning bolt hit around 8:00 p.m. while her brother was sitting on his couch. Their mother was out of town.
“He heard the big boom and said in 28 years he’s never heard anything that loud,” said Jennifer Robinson.
The storm caused the electricity to be out and cell phone service was down. Her brother said when he looked out the windows everything was lit up, which didn’t make sense because the electricity was out. That’s when he realized the house was struck. He had to drive a couple miles into town to tell the fire department.
“It was gone before the fire department even got here,” said Robinson.
The fire from the lightning destroyed the home. The roof collapsed on top of half of it and burned the other half. The four bedrooms and two bathrooms upstairs are gone.
“It's horrible there's nothing left,” said Robinson.
She said she felt as though lightning struck twice. It was exactly a year ago on Friday her father died. He was found outside by their pool on the ground. He had multiple sclerosis and possibly a heat stroke, according to the family. His wife found him that way. FOX23 talked with them last year when he died.
The inside of what’s left of their home is covered in ashes. They are not sure if they will rebuild here or move to another home.
A fundraiser for the family will be on August 18th at 6:00 at Kiowa and Skelly in Haskell.
