34 people lost their homes and possessions Tuesday when lightning struck a Mishawaka apartment complex, sparking a fire that engulfed most of a three-story building.
Mishawaka Fire Department received the call at 10:38 p.m. Tuesday in the middle of a wild thunderstorm. Witnesses at Autumn Lakes Apartments on the city’s south end said lightning had struck a building and sparked a fire. Fire crews arrived to find flames shooting through the attic.
Assistant Chief David Ray says firefighters initially entered the building but the battalion chief quickly ordered them out because the flames were too widespread, and a roof collapse was imminent. The chief then called for a defensive approach, meaning they would hit the flames from ladder trucks rather than from inside the building.
Ray said all but five of the displaced households have family to stay with. The American Red Cross is putting the others up in hotels.
There were no injuries, and firefighters rescued seven cats. The assistant chief praised the Humane Society of St. Joseph County for their help, and Autumn Lakes staff for working to find new apartments elsewhere in the area for displaced tenants.
"The Humane Society came out, they helped reunify those cats with their owners," Ray said, "and the Autumn Lakes staff there too, the managers and everybody, they did a great job of finding people for us, making sure everybody was safe, and then finding them new apartments to move into."
