A lightning strike resulted in a large destructive house fire about 10:30 a.m. Thursday in the 3300 block of Trout Camp Road west of Waterloo. 

A passerby called 911 to report the incident, and flames were immediately seen shooting from the roughly 4,000 square foot residence owned by Steve Gardner. 

Fortunately, the home was unoccupied at the time of the blaze, but a dog was kenneled inside. 

Waterloo Fire Chief Aaron Shive said firefighters Ben Rongey and Curtis Roever were able to rescue the dog inside the home without injury.

The Waterloo, Valmeyer, Columbia, Maeystown and Red Bud fire departments responded to the fire, which resulted in extensive damage throughout the structure. The roof collapsed on the residence from the immense heat of the flames.

Shive said lightning struck the roof of the garage and kitchen area of the structure, which immediately engulfed the entire attic portion of the home. 

The fire chief praised the quick response of several Waterloo firefighters who rushed to the scene.

“I couldn’t be happier with our first seven guys who arrived on scene,” Shive said of his firemen. “They gave it their all until others arrived.”

In addition to Roever and Rongey, other Waterloo firemen first on scene were Andrew Glessner, Mike Ramsey, Alex Rongey, Jeff Davis and pump operator TJ Doerr. 

Shive said Red Bud provided an air trailer to the scene. The trailer assists crews who respond to fires with a breathing air refill station.

Shortly after the initial Trout Camp Road call, another home was reported to have been struck by lightning in the 1500 block of New Brunswick Drive in Waterloo. A woman inside that home reported the incident, but there were no visible smoke or flames as a result.

A few retired Waterloo firemen even provided assistance Thursday due to there being two calls simultaneously during a downpour of rain in the sudden thunderstorm.