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MINNEOLA, Fla. - A fire started by a lightning strike has displaced a Central Florida family.
What Happened:
On August 8, Tyler Bello and his family were woken up by the sound of a lightning storm. Within minutes, the smoke alarm began going off. The bolt started a fire in the attic, before quickly tearing through the whole home.
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Bello and his wife were able to scramble to get their 18-month-old daughter Riley and their dogs out safely. The house is uninhabitable.
What they're saying:
Overall, the Bello family is grateful to be alive.
"We really count our blessings that we were able to make it out when we did," Bello said. "It wasn’t even like this was a slow build. That strike happened and, of course, ignited the attic almost immediately," he added.
Tyler’s wife is pregnant, due in two weeks, which has made things more difficult emotionally. They tell FOX 35 News that Riley has helped out a lot.
"She’s kind of been our light through all of this," he said. "The fact that she still finds joy in the little things, that’s been really helpful."
Bello said he was glad their alarms worked properly.
"This was a wake-up call for us of just how serious lightning can be and how quickly something like this can completely turn you upside down," he said.
What's next:
The family expects they won’t be able to return to the home for the next year. In the meantime, they are raising funds via GoFundMe.
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The Source: This story was written based on information shared by Tyler Bello.