A lightning strike damaged a home on Sunset Drive in Columbus Wednesday morning. Capt. Mike Wilson, spokesman for the Columbus Fire Department, says that firefighters at Station 1 were preparing for a 7 a.m. shift change when they witnessed a nearby lightning strike, less than one-mile north of the station house. At 7:38 a.m., firefighters were dispatched to 304 Sunset Drive for a possible structure fire.

The resident told firefighters that she was preparing her daughter for school when they witnessed a bright light and booming thunder. She added that the lights in the home flickered but remained on. After walking around the home looking for damage, the resident returned inside where she noticed several wall receptacles no longer working. The woman also told firefighters that when she went to the garage, the overhead door wasn’t working and she could smell smoke. Further inspection in the garage led to the woman finding a damaged electric dog-fence control panel that was mounted on the garage’s exterior wall. The wall was reportedly was scorched all around the device.

Capt. Wilson says that firefighters found signs of a lightning strike. They used a thermal imaging camera to scan for a hidden fire. None was found. On the home’s exterior, firefighters found damage to a wooden deck. They say that a 4×4 deck corner post was splintered. A bowl shaped crater, suspected to have been a result of the lighting’s path of travel, was also found. Inside the crater, firefighters found what they believe to be a portion of the hidden electrical fence that is buried in the lawn.

No injuries were reported and no damage estimates were immediately available.