OCALA, Fla. – Over the holiday weekend, a lightning strike wreaked havoc on a property in Central Florida, according to the homeowner, Larry Mull.
Located in Ocala, Mull’s property suffered extensive damage when a bolt of lightning obliterated a shed, destroyed the water pump and filtration system, and left the household without running water for several days.
Mull recounted hearing an explosive noise on Saturday night, only to discover the full extent of the destruction the following morning.
“There was a blinding flash followed by an incredibly loud boom, almost at the same time. It shook the entire house,” Mull explained.
The aftermath left debris from the shed scattered throughout his yard. Mull reported that the lightning strike completely ruined the system that provided water to his home.
“We rely on well water here, not city water,” Mull noted. “The lightning just obliterated everything connected to it.”
Mull says repairs are expected to cost thousands of dollars. In the meantime, he says he’s temporarily hooked into a neighbor’s water supply.
He says the timing made things even harder, with the strike happening during the holiday weekend while he tried to contact insurance and repair crews.
Mull says he also feels lucky the strike did not hit two propane tanks inside the shed.
“I consider myself very lucky because there’s two propane tanks in there and they’re both full, but nothing happened to them,” Mull said.
Despite the damage, Mull says he’s thankful nobody was hurt.
“Lightning capital of the world,” he joked.
