SHREVEPORT, La. -- Lightning gets the blame for a house fire Wednesday afternoon in the Southern Trace subdivision.

A strong thunderstorm was moving through the area around 1:30 p.m. when Shreveport firefighters responded to smoke and flames coming from a house in the 100 block of Longfellow Trace.

A neighbor reported hearing a loud noise that shook their home. They saw a fire at the house next door and called 911.

Another resident in the area told KTBS he was jolted by a lightning strike, and while checking out his yard for any damage saw black smoke coming from the house a few streets away.

"Neighbors heard a loud boom, several people in the neighborhood heard it. We do believe at this point that it is a confirmed lightning strike that set this house on fire," said Fire Chief Clarenc

See Full Page