Lightning strike caused a fire in Riva home. How rare is that?

A lightning strike in Riva started a fire in the attic of a one-story home Thursday afternoon, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said.

It's an uncommon but not unheard of danger, said Capt. Russ Davies, department spokesman.

"We can have a line of storms go through and two or three homes that have been struck by lightning and don't get a lot of damage. Or we can have ones like yesterday .... where the damage is catastrophic."

That was the case in October 2014, when lightning struck a 10,000 square foot home in 1400 block of Sharps Point Road in Cape St. Claire. Davies estimated that damage that night at $1.5 million.

In July 2016, a barn in Lothian with a homemade "Trump Pence" sign was struck by lightning and destroyed.

After ruling out arson, investigators eventually determined the barn had been hit by lightning.

Thursday, the occupants of the home in the 3000 block of Pike Drive in Riva called 911 after lightning hit the roof at 3:41 p.m.

Firefighters from Anne Arundel County and Annapolis departments found a one-story, single-family home with heavy smoke coming from the eaves and roof. They brought a fire in the attic area of the home under control in about 20 minutes

The Red Cross is assisting three adults and two children who have been displaced as a result of the fire. There were no injuries.

No one was injured in the incident. Damage was estimated at $100,000.

In 2013, the National Fire Protection Association issued a study of fires between 2007 and 2012 found fire departments across the country responded to an estimated average of 22,600 fires started by lightning per year.

These fires caused an estimated average of nine civilian deaths, 53 civilian injuries and $451 million in direct property damage per year.

Davies said there isn't much that can be done to protect against lightning strikes. Some buildings and homes are grounded with something like a lightning rod, such as the State House in Annapolis. It was hit by lightning in July 2016.

He recalled the old advice to stay off a corded phone during a thunderstorm as a lightning strike can send electricity through phone wires, but many people have switched to cordless or cell phones. It's common advice to unplug your electronic equipment before a storm to avoid damage from a power surge.

"Aside from that, it's an act of nature and I don't know there is anything the average homeowner can do," Davies said.

Davies noted the single-family home in Riva did have a working smoke detector.

Scattered showers and thunderstorms are in the forecast through the weekend for the Annapolis areas, according to the National Weather Service.

Caption: A lightning strike in Riva started a fire in the attic of a one-story home Thursday afternoon, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman said.

Courtesy photo