Lightning strikes

LAKEWOOD RANCH — Summerfield resident Jennifer Venditti was sitting in her living room when the sound of rumbling thunder turned into one of a battlefront explosion.

Her husband, Gene, was shaken when his wife called to say she thought their home had been struck by lightning Aug. 6. As he drove home from work that day, it wasn’t his house he worried about; it was his family.

“I got home as soon as I could,” Gene Venditti said. “It was pouring (outside). I just wanted to make sure my family was OK. Houses can be replaced.”

At home, Gene’s wife and daughter, Jenna Rose, were shaken, but fine. The power was out. The phones and garage door were dead.

Gene explored the outside of the home for damages.

“All I could see was there was some burnt wiring on the side of the house, which told me (the lightning) hit the (television) dish,” he said. “A few days later, I noticed shingles (around) the house.”

That’s when he realized their roof had been hit, Gene Venditti said.

Over the next four days, the lights in the Vendittis’ home would power off and on about every four minutes, signaling power surges were continuing. Two small fires broke out, the first of which occurred in the kitchen. The second occurred a few days later in the living room. East Manatee Fire Rescue responded, and firefighters even rescued the family’s bird, Luigi, which they had left inside during the second fire.

“The service people came here immediately,” Jennifer Venditti said. “They did a great job.”

In fact, the couple said they couldn’t have been more pleased with the help they received from firefighters and Fire Marshal George Ellington, as well as servicemen and women from Peace River Electric, TECO, Manatee County and other entities, who have come out over the last few weeks to help make repairs and ensure their home is functioning properly.

“There were a lot of people in the community who were really great,” Gene Venditti said.

Contact Pam Eubanks at [email protected].

Fire Hazard
Following a lightning strike to your home, electrical surges can continue for days, causing potential for fires inside the home.

East Manatee Fire Rescue Fire Marshal George Ellington said homeowners who believe their home has been struck by lightning should leave immediately and contact their local fire department, which will check the home for abnormal levels of heat and other issues.