Storm knocked trees onto homes, woman reports possible lightning strike

A strong storm that blew through Oak Ridge on Monday knocked two trees down onto homes. One fell onto a firefighter’s house and caused several thousand dollars worth of damage, Oak Ridge Fire Department Chief Darryl Kerley said.

Firefighters also responded to a call from a woman who called 911 and said she thought she had been struck by lightning during the 7 p.m. storm.

“Upon arrival, the fire department found her in the living room of her home complaining of chest pain,” Kerley said. “She stated she was standing looking out the window when lighting hit in front of her, and she began experiencing chest pain. She was transported to Methodist Medical Center for evaluation.”

Kerley said one of the trees fell onto the home of firefighter Kenny Spratling, who was on duty at the time. He was working at Fire Station No. 2 when the call came in.

“The tree did several thousand dollars damage (to) the firefighter’s home and displaced his family until repairs can be made,” Kerley said.

The other home hit by a fallen tree, a house located on Delaware Avenue, was unoccupied.

Kerley said the Oak Ridge City Council meeting was just getting ready to start Monday evening when lighting hit near the Oak Ridge Municipal Building, knocking out power for several seconds.

The fire department responded to many alarms caused by the storm that night, but no injuries were reported, Kerley said.

He said the National Weather Service recommends that people move to the interior parts of their homes during thunderstorms and stay away from windows, showers, or running water, and limit the use of hard-wired telephones.