FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS, Ill. — Thursday's overnight storms didn't just take a toll on mid-Missouri.
Many parts of our area also had storm damage.
That includes a Metro-East woman, who woke up to her house on fire.
Mary Davis' basement in Fairview Heights is almost beyond repair after a lightning strike hit her house early Thursday morning and filled the whole place with smoke.
"We had thunder and lightning and then we heard this really big boom," explained Davis.
That boom was the sound of lightning hitting Davis's chimney.
"It kind of woke me and the next thing I know the house was filled with smoke," added Davis.
So much smoke firefighters had to break the windows to vent the house.
"I mean you couldn't see your hand in front of your face," said Davis. "It could've been a lot worse. Oh yes, if firefighters hadn't of gotten here when they did I could be looking at a lot more damage."
But as she looked at the damage done, she said it's enough.
"I can't believe it turned my copper pipes black," Davis said while looking through the house.
All it took was one lightning strike to send toxic fumes all throughout Mary's home.
"People don't die necessarily from the fire," explained Fairview Heights Fire Chief Bryan Doyle, "they die from all the poisonous gases so that's what they die from you stand up and get a good whiff of that or don't have good smoke detectors and stand up and get a whiff of that you're dead."
Although her house is covered with broken glass and the floor is falling in, Mary Davis is just happy to be alive.
"There's smoke and water damage everywhere you know the whole nine yards, but we made it out safely and I'm grateful for that," added Davis.