Reported Lightning Strike Causes Garage Fire In Brainerd

No one was hurt in a residential fire that destroyed a garage Sunday evening in Brainerd and is said to have been caused by a lightning strike.

According to the owner of the home, on Sunday evening he was alone in his house on Shady Lane Circle when a severe thunderstorm rolled through the Brainerd Lakes area. He was downstairs when he heard a crash of a lightning strike. A fire quickly consumed the attached garage but firefighters were able to save the house from severe damage.

“When I came back through the kitchen I noticed an orange glow off of my garage in the backyard. I was thinking tree back here right on the edge of the garage. As soon as I opened up the garage, it was just full of smoke. So I just closed the door and came out the patio door,” said home owner David Walsh.

The Brainerd Lakes area was under a severe thunderstorm warning until 7:15 p.m. Sunday that caused flash flooding and reported power outages to thousands of area residents.