PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — A lightning strike sparked a fire that destroyed a Pflugerville family’s home, leaving them to rebuild as neighbors and community members rally around them.
Lindsey Thomas said she was home with her family when they heard a loud boom.
“Everyone got shocked,” Thomas said. “My husband ran outside … he smelled smoke and he ran upstairs. It was a full, already fully engulfed fire in the attic.”
The family quickly evacuated, and everyone, including their dogs, escaped safely.
The fire destroyed nearly everything inside the house.
“Everything is a total loss,” Thomas said.
The loss also brought back painful memories for the family. Thomas said they previously lost their home in a Houston flood about five and a half years ago.
“We lost our house in a flood in Houston,” Thomas said. “About five and a half years ago now.”
As the family begins another recovery, neighbors in the Blackhawk neighborhood and people across Pflugerville have stepped in to help.
Thomas said neighbors have donated supplies and other items, while one neighbor took a home off the market so the family could rent it.
Another neighbor created a GoFundMe campaign to help the family cover recovery expenses.
“It’s made this entire thing bearable,” Thomas said. “It brings a tear to my eye to think about it, because it’s been like this good that’s come out of this horrible tragedy for us.”
The family has homeowners insurance and continues to work through the claims process.
Despite losing their home, Thomas said the family plans to remain in Pflugerville and rebuild on the same property.
“We can’t see ourselves anywhere else but here,” Thomas said.
