HOUSTON – Lightning struck two northwest Harris County homes during a round of severe weather Thursday.
Terry Hitchcock said he was at his house on Briden Oak Court at Theiss Hill Drive in the Champions area at 6 a.m. when he heard a loud bang, smelled smoke and realized his roof was on fire.
"Just like that -- boom, boom, boom. I was leaving to go to work out when I walked out. I smelled smoke and called 911," Hitchcock said.
Firefighters arrived and had a hard time getting the blaze under control because of strong winds, officials said. Also, a ladder truck could not be used because of lightning.
"The wind was coming out of the north so it was pushing the fire back into the attic. So it took some time to get the fire under control," said Rich Jones with the Klein Fire Department.
Lightning struck another home in the same neighborhood, but a fire did not break out.
At least five trees were also struck by lightning.
No injuries were reported.