Storm cleanup underway after lightning topples trees

SHELTON, Wash. — Taking a break from running a chainsaw outside his Shelton home, David Hults told KIRO 7 about the lightning bolt that ripped a big fir tree in half and sent it crashing into his yard.

"The whole house just shook. It was unreal," said Hults.

The tree wiped out a fence and tore down part of the gutter on the house, and the power surge blew the phone box right off the wall and fried electronics. Margaret Hults said, "Our TV no longer works; neither do our cable boxes or Internet boxes. It blew some stuff up."

A few miles away at Mountain View Elementary the roof is still waiting to be repaired after a bolt of lightning hit an antenna and blew a hole through a small portion of the roof. The phone lines at the school were also out of order all day Friday due to the storm.

Cleanup crews also stayed busy at the Fairmont Cove Apartments trying to safely bring down the rest of another fir tree split in two by lightning. Part of the tree crashed down on apartment units and displaced four tenants.

Back at the Hults home, they figure it will take at least a week to clean up the damage. Margaret Hults says she can't remember a more fierce and powerful lightning storm hitting Shelton. "I've never seen anything like that not to knock down trees like that. Once is enough I hope it doesn't happen again."

KIRO