SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. – Firefighters believe a lightning strike started a fire that damaged a home in Seminole County Tuesday night.
Crews with the Seminole County Fire Department were called out to the Buckingham Estates neighborhood, near Markham Road and Orange Boulevard just before 7:30 p.m. while storms rolled through Central Florida.
Video from Northumbria Drive shows intense flames and heavy smoke coming from the roof, as firefighters worked to control the fire that quickly spread through the 2,700-square-foot home.
Christa Gonzalez told our News 6 team Wednesday that she was watching TV with her husband when they saw the lightning strike through a window.
“I texted them immediately saying, ‘hey, are you guys okay? I’m pretty sure that just hit your house.’ I watched it for a little while and didn’t see anything. We kept on thinking like, ‘okay, something, maybe it hit a tree in the back,’ said Gonzalez. “Literally two minutes later I looked out and I said, ‘oh my God, their house is on fire.’”
Gonzalez said she called 911, but the fire spread in a matter of minutes.
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“You know this happens, but it never happens to people you know. These are our friends. I mean, these are our neighbors,” said Gonzalez. “This is a really tight knit group of houses right here. So, it’s family. They’re family. So, yeah, it’s scary.”
Gonzalez said she was most concerned about the safety of her neighbors and their dogs. Firefighters tell News 6 no one was hurt.
“We wanted to make sure that they were okay and that their, which are their family, were okay. And that was most important,” said Gonzalez. “Now we’re just going to be there to help them with whatever we can till they can get their house back together.”
Tonight at 7:28 PM crews were dispatched to a single-story residential structure fire (2,700 sq. ft.) 📍 Northumbria Dr,...
Posted by Seminole County Fire Department on Tuesday, May 27, 2025
News 6 meteorologist Julie Broughton showed us what the radar looked like just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday and where lightning strikes were recorded.
“This is that sea breeze collision we always talk about,” explained Broughton as she pointed out the activity west of I-4. “You can see just in this frame 188 lightning strikes.”
Broughton said at the time there was not a severe thunderstorm warning, but a special weather statement because of gusty winds and some hail in central Florida.
“We are the lightning capital of North America,” said Broughton. “And when we’re talking about the rainy season, that means those daily sea breeze thunderstorms. So, we’re talking about excessive lightning just about every afternoon.”
Broughton said it is something we all have to watch for.
“Remember, lightning can strike ten miles ahead of a storm,” said Broughton. “If you see lightning anywhere where you are, you need to head inside. If you hear thunder, you need to go inside. It is very serious, and we deal with a lot of issues with house fires. People lose their lives every year in Florida because of lightning.”
A GoFundMe has been established to help assist the family.