JACKSONVILLE, Fla. --
It's said lightning doesn't strike the same place twice; however, one Westside man said he found out otherwise during Tuesday's strong storms.
Lightning didn't strike just once on 79-year-old Earl Burch's property, Jacksonville firefighters said.
One bolt hit the roof and burned a hole in his ceiling, and it appeared there might have been two more bolts that came down and struck the same tree in his back yard.
The lightning strikes started a fire in Burch's attic.
"Looking at the yard, there was a lightning strike in that tree. There were two marks in that tree and possibly just the way the storm was it's a guess there was more than one strike in that area. We don't know if it actually jumped from the tree to the house or if it was a separate strike or not," said Jacksonville Fire Rescue Lt. Dwayne Ayers.
"I didn't know what to think. I tried to hurry home, but with evening traffic it was terrible," said Burch.
He said fortunately no one was home at the time of, but the situation could've been a lot worse because his wife was taken to a hospice on Monday for her deteriorating health.
"She could hardly walk, and I would've had to carry her out," said Burch.
Firefighters said the lightning started a small fire in Burch's attic, which is right above his kitchen where the majority of the damage was done.
They said the damage is not as uncommon as it may seem. In Jacksonville, firefighters estimate some type of property is damaged every time there's a storm.
"It had to hit somewhere, and you never know when it's going to hit or where it's going to hit," said Burch said.
Firefighters estimate about $25,000 of damage was done to Burch's home.
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