Sunday afternoon storms bring fires, high water rescues to Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas -- Montgomery County 911 Operators and Emergency Dispatchers spent most of their weekend working to dispatch emergency responders to various emergency incidents throughout the area.

On average, Fire Dispatchers handle around 200 calls every 24 hours ranging from everything from medical emergencies to building fires. This Sunday however, would prove to be no routine day as hundreds of calls began to light up the 911 switchboards. A line of severe thunderstorms rolled into the area Sunday afternoon, pounding most of southwest Montgomery County.

Early in the event, numerous reports of lightning strikes began to pour in, including several where homes were struck and damaged. While Montgomery County Fire Investigators are still out this morning tallying the damage, initial reports were that over a dozen homes either caught fire or suffered damage after being struck by lightning.

Some of the larger fires included a home in the 37000 block of Marias Way in Magnolia, and another in the 100 block of Carriage Ln off FM 1488. There were also reports of fires and damage from lightning strikes across the area from South Montgomery County to the western part of the County near Dobbin and Montgomery.

As often happens, Sunday’s lightning-related house fires appear to have broken out in the home’s attics, while numerous other lightning strikes were reported to have affected power lines, electrical transformers, and in one case, lightning even struck a gas meter at an apartment complex. While many of these strikes did not result in a fire, they often leave damage to homes and businesses that may be unseen.

As the storms continued to train across the area, it wasn’t long before reports of water rescues began to make their way to emergency dispatchers. Early rainfall estimates indicate that as much as 6-7 inches of rain fell in a very short period of time in parts of the Magnolia area.

A number of small creeks quickly swelled from the torrential downpour, while several unsuspecting motorists underestimated the power of the rising waters and soon found themselves in need of rescue. In most of the cases, Firefighters quickly swooped in with rescue boats and plucked them off the roof of their car or they were rescued by good Samaritans before crews arrived.

Although there were no reports of serious injuries or deaths resulting from the storms, at least one local resident reported that they were working on their computer when lightning struck their home, resulting in them receiving a mild shock.

What to do if you suspect lightning has struck your home or business

When lightning strikes a house, it can travel in any number of directions. Roofs often take a major hit, and fires can break out in the attic, growing unnoticed for some time until they are discovered. If you see or smell smoke, the first thing you should do is evacuate the home and call 911 from a safe location.

The surge usually takes the path of least resistance, which means electricity can run throughout all of the wiring and even plumbing in your home. Even if you do not see damage, you should consider contacting an electrician to inspect your home’s electrical systems. If you suspect that you have damage to your home, consider shutting off your electrical breakers and gas supply, and notify your insurance company.

After you make your initial emergency checks for roof damage and fire, you should inspect these elements to determine whether there is any damage:

• Check circuit breakers, outlets, and light switches for functionality
• Check appliances, shut off or unplug power if they appear damaged
• Test landline telephones to see whether they still work
• Test the pressure in water supply lines to identify any leaks
• Visually inspect for leaks in all plumbing lines including gas lines