WILSON COUNTY, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Wilson County family narrowly escaped with their lives during a house fire after lightning struck their roof during a thunderstorm late Saturday night.
WATCH: Lightning strike ignites house fire; Wilson County family loses nearly everything but escapes safely
The fire broke out just after midnight at the home of Mike and Pandy Tipping.
"It was 20 minutes from no smoke in the house to fully engulfed," said Mike Tipping.
Mike said he first heard a loud clap of thunder, then fire alarms.
"When I opened up our bedroom door, I could see all the way down the back side of the house, and that's all I saw was the vinyl dripping off the ceiling on fire," Mike said.
In the minutes before the fire consumed the home, the family focused on getting everyone out safely.
Pandy's mother, who lives with them, made it out, and Mike rushed to rescue their 4-year-old grandson, who was visiting.
"I grabbed him up out of the bed and scared him half to death," Mike said.
Mike also managed to get the cars out of the garage, but the family had no time to save anything else from inside.
"I ran out with tennis shoes on and shorts, and that's all I had besides what I grabbed off my nightstand," Mike said.
While new appliances and other material possessions can be replaced, the Tippings said many of their priceless possessions are gone forever.
"We had both of our grandparents, our grandfathers' flags," said Mike and Pandy Tipping.
Despite the devastation, the Tippings said they plan to rebuild on the same property; they’re even staying on it now — it’s a place they love.
"We have the deer and the turkeys and the trees in the woods," Mike said.
The Tippings said they are especially thankful for the firefighters who came to their house within 12 minutes of getting the call.
"They were amazing; they not only took care of the house. They took care of us," Mike said.
They’re also thankful for their neighbors.
"All of our neighbors around here have been very supportive, amazing," Mike said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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