July 23, 2004

Lightning sparks house fire

       A Bargersville couple were lying in their bed when lightning struck their $400,000 home Wednesday night. The resulting fire destroyed the house as water-supply problems hindered firefighters’ efforts to save it.  A day later, Dallas Peak, 39, and his wife, Pamela, 40, have only a few possessions — a wallet, their cell phones, two computers, their vehicles and their dog — that came from the place they called home for five years.  “We managed to save that much,” Dallas Peak said. “Almost everything else is gone: our wedding photos, our clothes, everything.”  All that is left of the gated home on a 12.6-acre estate at 3251 W. County Road 100S is the remains of a deck and basement.

       Firefighters from all over Johnson County tried to salvage the house, but a water-supply glitch left them unable to save it, Bargersville Fire Department Chief Mike Pruitt said.

       The Peaks said they were trying to get some sleep during Wednesday night’s thunderstorms when they were shaken by an explosion in their bedroom about 10:30 p.m. A lightning strike had hit the couple’s stereo speaker, located in the bedroom ceiling.  The strike was so powerful it turned on the couple’s clock radio, while blowing out one of the home’s electrical circuits, Pamela Peak said.  “At that point, I didn’t even realize the home was on fire,” she said.  The couple first noticed a water leak on the upper floor, she said. Soon after, they smelled smoke.  Because the home’s electricity had been affected, Pamela Peak ran downstairs to grab her cell phone and immediately called 911.  Still not seeing flames, she left the house, located on a long, narrow driveway far from the road, to flag down approaching fire trucks.  Dallas Peak stayed behind as flames began to spread on the upper floor.  “Fire was coming out of the cold-air ducts, so I ran downstairs to get a fire extinguisher and started shooting it through the air ducts,” he said.

       By the time Bargersville firefighters arrived, fire had shot up through the roof and attic, completely engulfing the home’s second floor.  Pruitt said the closest fire hydrant was at the intersection of Division Road and County Road 400 West, two miles from the Peaks’ house, making for a time-consuming four-mile trip in a tanker truck to the hydrant and back to the home.  Making matters worse, a fire truck stalled just as it turned into the Peaks’ driveway about an hour into their effort. The truck blocked additional trucks from passing through for 30 minutes.

       For half an hour, Dallas and Pamela Peak and firefighters watched the home burn down. No water could reach the house.  “What can you do? You stand there and painfully watch,” Pruitt said.  He said another obstacle was ammunition in the home, causing firefighters to back off at times.

       Seven other fire departments — Franklin, Trafalgar, White River Township, Nineveh, Amity, Whiteland and New Whiteland — all responded to the fire.  A total of 50 firefighters were on the property at some point, Pruitt said. Firefighters remained at the home until about 5 a.m. Thursday.  Pruitt said firefighters always analyze responses for lessons. This time, he said it was an access problem: access to the home, access to water and access to manpower.

       The Peaks said they’re not sure where they will live in the meantime, saying they simply haven’t had time to think about what’s next.  “Last night, we had to sleep in our RV,” Dallas Peak said Thursday afternoon. (This article reprinted with permission from the Daily Journal)
      

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