House Fire in Miona Lakes development (not Villages)
 

I played golf at Miona Lakes yesterday (borders on western edge of Villages near Pennecamp and Buttonwood). A relatively new, large, stucco home near the 12th green was a total fire loss. Still smelled fairly recent (last week's storms?). I just wondered if it was an issue with gas lines in the attic. Looked eerily similar to other lightning strike fires in the Villages.

Anybody know what happened?

I remember seeing something posted on the RadioReference web site, last week, for Sumter County giving a brief description of a structure fire through the roof by Miona Lakes but never saw anything in the Daily Sun or Daily Commercial papers after the fact.

I realized only last week that if a home has gas fuel, it has a pipe sticking out of the roof to vent. A metal pipe.

Does anyone know if that means it could attract lightning? Perhaps it is aluminum and not a conductor???

Aluminum is a conductor. It is frequently used for the service cable that connects the power company cable to your electrical panel.

I don't believe the gas vent pipes themselves have previousy been implicated in any of the lightning/attic fires. I believe lightning struck elsewhere in the attic/roof/house and once the fire got into the attic it ignited the gas due to potential problem/defect with the connectors attached to the flexible gas pipe/hose. Again, this is my recollection of the issue that occurred in the past.

Thanks
 

Thank God for your posting Villages07. My schedule is such that I never have time to reply. So glad to have you and Red make intelligent responses. Thanks again!

The fire happened last Friday morning and that is the sub division right behind our home. The home is a total loss. Even the car in the garage was burned. I just hope everyone got out safely. Never saw one word in paper about it.

Lighting Protection issues
 

The alarm for this fire was received at the county fire department at 4:28 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2011 and the property is located in the Fairways subdivision just outside of The Villages. As a result, you may experience door-to-door lightning sales people in our neighborhoods especially in those villages near where this event took place. Sales tactics may include high pressure and low-ball prices. If you do consider a lightning protection system see the Lightning Matters columns in the April 2011 and July 2010 that can be found on line at the POA web site. Be sure to get two quotes from a Underwriters Laboratories or Lightning Protection Institute "listed" installer. Remeber this is a buyer beware marketplace.

Mr Lightning .... do you know if the cause of this fire was a lightning strike? 4:28 am sounds too early for when the storms came through that day. Just curious.

Lightning
 

99% sure that cause was lightning and the storms continued throught the morning of the 31st.