Home destroyed after lightning strike ignites fire

BENTON, Mo. — Tracy Martin and her fiancee, Addison Glover, were displaced after a recent thunderstorm and lightning strike caused a fire that destroyed their Scott County home, which the family had just finished refurbishing.

Martin said on March 14, she and Glover were resting at their home when lightning hit.

“We were just laying down and the weather was kind of bad, but it was more windy than anything, and I was debating on taking a shower or waiting because you’re not suppose to shower when it’s lightning,” Martin said. “So we were just going to wait it out.”

All of a sudden, they heard a huge boom, she said.

“It was almost like the ground had shook and we saw this orange light,” Martin said.

Martin only thought the house had almost been struck by lightning and that everything was fine, she said.

Martin decided to go outside and check the house for safety reasons. When Martin got to the side of the house, she noticed smoke, and when she looked up a little further, she saw that the attic was on fire. 

“I just thought, ‘Oh no. This can’t be happening,’” Martin said. “There was a waterhose out back for me to use, but there was just no hope for me to put this fire out.” 

Photo provided/GoFundMe Pictured are the remains following a fire that destroyed a Benton family’s home which caught on fire March 14 from a lightning strike.

Martin then went inside to inform her fiancee the house was on fire, and the two of them grabbed their dogs and got in their vehicles. 

“After we got out of the house, we pulled into our neighbors driveway and waited for the fire department to get there and pretty much watched it burn,” Martin said.

According to Martin, the fire department was at their home for three hours and it took awhile to extinguish the fire.

“Even though, as devastating as it is, I’m glad we were home,” Martin said. “We can live without the material stuff, but I couldn’t go without my dogs and I don’t know how they would have made it out alive.”

According to Martin, the fire department was at their home for three hours, and it took some time to extinguish the fire. 

Following the fire, Martin’s twin brother, Scott Martin, started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the couple. Martin’s brother wanted to ask for help after the couple had spent the last few months remodeling the inside of their home.

Martin said the fire department did their best, but they lost everything. 

“It has been hard,” Martin said. “We are out all of that money for the remodeling; insurance isn’t going to cover that.”

Martin expressed gratitude because they are all alive and safe, and that her family and her fiancee’s families have been extremely helpful. 

To donate, visit the link at https://www.gofundme.com/f/devastating-house-fire-for-tracy-and-addison?utm_camp...