Lightning wreaked havoc on Rockdale County last Friday with two residential homes catching ablaze due to strikes, and three more strikes finding its way to the ground.

A house on the corner of Liz Court and Christopher Lane in the Allen's Landing subdivision was struck around 8:15 p.m. and caught fire shortly before 9 p.m.

One nearby resident described seeing a blinding, silent flash of light, and then, about 15 minutes later, smelling smoke in the air.

No one was reportedly at home at the time, but major damage was inflicted in the attic and second floor. There was also water damage and control damage throughout the house.

"There were three gables on the house," said Deputy Fire Chief Mike Lee. "All three had fire on them. It wasn't a matter of getting one spot; we had to put water everywhere."

The house was one of the first built in the subdivision.

Another house in the 900 block of Mt. Zion Rd north of I-20 also caught fire later in the evening. According to Lee, the fire department responded about 10:30 and stayed on scene until about 2:30 a.m.

In total the Rockdale Fire Department had 23 requests for assistance during the storm from 7 p.m. until midnight.

Lee said all units were tied up, and assistance was requested from Newton and DeKalb counties to help answer the calls.
Check back to www.rockdalenews.com for updates.