.png)
CUSICK — Lightning struck a Cusick home on Highway 20 Sunday, May 17, igniting a fire that nearly destroyed the structure.
The lightning struck at about 4:23 p.m. while the residing family, including a paraplegic patient, were home. A fire ignited in the attic, and intense heat and energy from the lightning strike caused the fire to spread rapidly through the attic and down the walls in the two minutes before Pend Oreille Fire District No. 2 personnel and apparatus arrived on scene.
Deputy Chief Erik Gallanger was just around the corner at Station 23 when he heard the lightning strike.
He and a fire captain-paramedic were the first units on scene and immediately assisted the family in evacuating the home. None were injured.
An engine crew from Ione arrived, along with two water tenders, increasing total on-scene Fire District No. 2 personnel to 12 firefighters.
Utilizing multiple handlines, they began an aggressive interior attack on the fire, pulling ceilings and opening walls to locate and extinguish hidden flames. Within 20 minutes of arrival, they stopped any forward progression of the fire.
The Kalispel Tribal Fire Department and Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office also assisted on scene.
Highways 20 and 31 were closed for about two hours during the firefight.
The home sustained severe fire, smoke and water damage, but was not destroyed entirely. Extensive renovation is required before the home can be reoccupied.
For now, the family is displaced, but Red Cross is responding to assist them and their pets. Newport Hospital and Health Services has accepted the paraplegic patient for temporary care until the family makes permanent housing arrangements.
