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The thunderstorm that rolled through Saskatoon Wednesday morning produced quite the light show.
But four people living in a Lorne Avenue home had a much closer encounter with it.
Wayne Lemauviel said he and his wife got a call around 4 a.m. from their upstairs tenant letting them know the house had been struck by lightning.
“Once we got the call, we just told them we’d be out there right away. Wasn’t too much more on our mind than just get out there.”
Landlords are used to taking calls about a furnace going out or backed up toilet. So hearing about a lighting strike was a surprise, Lemauviel admitted.
The fire department said the lightning hit the back of the home. It started a fire which then spread to the exterior of the second floor bedroom just feet from where one of Lemauviel’s tenants was sleeping.
“I haven’t even talked to him yet. He lives there with his sister and she told me that he went to work this morning.”
Fire crews needed to open up the bedroom wall to reach the fire which left behind a gaping hole. The fire department pegged the damage at $50,000.
“I was actually expecting a lot more damage than this,” said Lemauviel after dealing with his insurance adjuster.
By mid-morning contractors were working on closing in the hole, but he said it was unlikely the tenants would be able to stay there Wednesday night.
The lighting strike on Lorne Avenue was the second of two Wednesday morning.
Fifteen minutes earlier a detached garage on Avenue M South near 11th Street caught fire after it was hit by lightning.
No one was injured. Damage was estimated to be $10,000.
bbosker@rawlco.com
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