What To Do if Lightning Strikes Your House

After three Lake Forest buildings were struck by lightning Thursday morning, residents might be wondering what to do if they find themselves in the same situation.

Lightning can enter a building via direct strike, through wires or pipes that extend to the outside or through the ground, according to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency’s Lightning Safety Awareness Guide. 

“Once in a structure, the current from a lightning strike can travel through electrical lines, plumbing, phone lines, and radio or TV reception systems. Lightning can also travel through any metal wiring or bars in concrete walls or flooring,” according to the IEMA. 

If you’re inside a building that is struck by lightning, you might immediately know by the sound.

“Sometimes it will rock the house,” said Lake Forest Fire Battalion Chief Pete Siebert, who said lightning strikes can produce “an explosion-type noise.”

In other cases, lightning might knock out the power to your home or fry appliances, he said.

Lightning can strike a roof and spark a fire in an attic or between walls, such as the one Lake Forest firefighters responded to after residents noticed smoke in their home.

“If you do suspect there’s been a lightning strike, you don’t want to brush it off,” Siebert said. 

Anyone who suspects their home or building has been struck by lightning should call 911 so that firefighters can investigate, Siebert said.

While no one can control lightning's target, Siebert said some people install lightning rods. If struck, the rods can help direct electrical currents away from a building and to the ground.