NEW MELLE, Mo. — A house fire happened during a storm that raced through New Melle Tuesday afternoon.
New Melle Fire Chief Dan Casey said bystanders witnessed flames coming out of a roof on the 1700 block of Morrison Lane before 3 p.m.
"Sometimes Mother Nature can be devastating and a little violent," Casey said.
A New Melle family faced the wrath themselves, with half of their home now gone.
The cause of the fire is under investigation, but it is believed to have been caused by a lightning strike.
"Most of the time it'll hit your chimney or roof peaks," he noted. "When we arrived to the scene, the chimney had exploded and the bricks were in the front, so that was an indication it was struck by lightning."
The National Weather Service told 5 On Your Side homes on hills or higher areas are more susceptible to get hit by lightning.
Even if it wasn't a major storm, they said lightning can still be a threat.
No one was home fortunately, but firefighters realized another family member was inside.
"They were able to locate one dog. Right when they found it, the ceiling collapsed so once the ceiling collapsed, the dog was trapped between the ceiling space and the wall, so the firefighters made a quick decision and ran through the fire to grab the dog, brought the dog back through the fire and got it out of the home," Casey said.
Crews were challenged by low water pressure and a lack of fire hydrants in the area. Casey said they used four tankers to carry water. Each tanker can hold 3,000 gallons. They were able to salvage a large portion of the first floor.
Covering 122 square miles, Casey said they responded quickly in under six minutes. Yet the goal is to shed even more time.
Down the road from Station One on Mill Street, a new station is being built to do just that.
Casey explained the new space will have advanced technology to allow crews to respond even quicker.
"Hopefully we can cut 45 seconds or a minute for response times getting out the door," he added. "Our mission is community first."
The new station is expected to open mid or late June.
5 On Your Side spoke to the family and they said they've been living in that home for a decade.
They said calls keep coming in as the community shares its support.