Lightning strike sparks house fire in far West Bexar County

Homeowner: 'It was a bright light and then a loud noise'

SAN ANTONIO – A lightning strike sparked a house fire in far West Bexar County on Friday morning.

The lightning hit a home during storms around 8 a.m. in the 12,000 block of Rambling Rose Street, jolting a family of four out of bed.

"It was a bright light and then a loud noise. And then I heard my daughter scream," said Amber Benitez, a mother of two.

Her husband went outside and saw smoke rising from the roof. That's when the couple knew they had to protect their children, ages 8 and 10.

"That was basically everything that went through my mind, just to get the kids out," Benitez said. "So we had them put their shoes on and we ran out. And a neighbor came out to take our kids and our pets. It just happened real fast."

The family of four and their dog and cat made it safely out of the house. 

Benitez is grateful her family and pets are OK.

"I figured it hit somewhere else. I just didn't think it would happen to us. But luckily, we did go with our instinct, got out of the house and called 911 shortly after."

The home only suffered minimal smoke damage to the attic and roof.


About the Authors:

Ben Spicer is a digital journalist who works the early morning shift for KSAT.

Sarah Acosta is a weekend Good Morning San Antonio anchor and a general assignments reporter at KSAT12. She joined the news team in April 2018 as a morning reporter for GMSA and is a native South Texan.