A powerful lightning strike blew a tree to pieces and caused damage to several homes in Fountain Hills on Saturday night, February 10th. It occurred around 8 p.m. on San Paulo Place, off El Pueblo Boulevard and San Carlos Drive, during a rainy and cold day.
The lightning hit a large mesquite tree, which exploded and sent debris flying in all directions. The debris penetrated the windows of a nearby house, damaged the roofs of other houses, and knocked down a portion of a concrete block wall.
No one was injured, but the residents were scared by the loud noise and the destruction.
One of the residents, Terri Treibler, who owns a bakery in Fountain Hills, said that she was sleeping when the lightning struck and woke up to find broken glass and wood splinters in her living room. She said that she was disoriented by the rude awakening and that she was grateful that she was not hurt.
The lightning strike was one of the rare and extreme weather events that have occurred in Arizona in recent years, such as the snowstorm in March and the extreme heat wave in September. Both occurring in 2023.
Experts have attributed these events to climate change and have warned that they could become more frequent and severe in the future. They have urged the public to be prepared and to take precautions to protect themselves and their properties from the effects of the weather.
