Lightning Causes House Fire, Mobile Command Center Activated During Severe Weather Friday Night

Needless to say with the severe weather it was an all-hands-on-deck Friday night in the lake area.

Gravois Fire Chief Dustin Hancock says it started shortly after 6:30 when a lightning strike caused a one-and-a-half story house fire on a private lane just north of Gravois.

Responding personnel were able to quickly get the situation under control with the homeowner advised to seek shelter at the firehouse and mutual aid units released from the scene because of the weather capable of producing a tornado taking aim at the area.

In the meantime, six personnel stayed behind working overhaul before having to take cover from the weather themselves with breathing apparatus and a charged hose line in the basement of the structure until the storm cell passed.

By that time, the Sunrise Beach mobile command trailer was activated to help coordinate responses to multiple weather-related emergency calls which started to come in dealing with traffic accidents, downed trees and power lines, and trees on vehicles. The Area Command was deactivated shortly after midnight.

In the end, two people had to be transported for medical care during the incidents.

Providing mutual aid throughout the evening were personnel from the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, Co-Mo Electric, Mid-Mo Ambulance, Lake West Ambulance and the Sunrise Beach, Mid-County and Versailles Rural fire districts.