JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Lightning struck a tree in Arlington Tuesday evening, leaving one home without water and temporarily knocking out power to the entire block.
The strike occurred shortly after 5 p.m. on Ector Road near Merril Road, leaving a visible path of destruction across a residential yard.
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“As soon as it hit, you felt the whole rumble of the house,” homeowner Daniel Posey said. “I was holding a controller at the time, and I felt a shock in the controller in my thumb. My computer monitor went out.”
The lightning bolt struck a tree before traveling across the grass, leaving a scorched line that ended at a metal table and chair set.
The powerful strike cracked an underground water pipe, disrupting water pressure to the home.
Diana Posey described the moment of impact. “I thought it hit my house or my car because my car alarm went off,” she said. “I came out to see and realized it wasn’t the house. Then I saw the line and the tree. It was a bright white light. The plants in my son’s room were knocked over.”
The lightning strike’s effects extended beyond the Posey residence. Every home on the block experienced a momentary power outage, and the shockwave rattled nearby houses.
A neighbor standing outside her home several doors down reported feeling what was described as a static electricity shock when the lightning struck. She was not injured.
When News4JAX arrived at the scene, the homeowner and neighbors were working to restore water pressure by attempting to seal the crack in the damaged pipe. The water pressure had dropped so low that none of the home’s faucets were functioning.
“Really lucky,” Posey said. “Any closer and hit the house, I can’t imagine what would have happened to everyone in there.”
