On Saturday October 25th, 2025 at 6:00 am, the Van Pelt family home was struck by lightning and caught on fire. The father had been preparing to leave for a trip and happened to be in the garage at the time. He saw the lightning strike across the street which caused the power to go out. He didn't know at the time that his home had also been hit during that strike and that a fire had begun inside. It seared through the house, miraculously missing the bedrooms nearby where is kids and wife were still sound asleep. The house was beginning to billow with black smoke so he rushed to evacuate his family and pets. Outside they stood in the pouring rain and waited for the fire department to arrive.

They were able to salvage some of their belongings, but are currently displaced while they face the harrowing task of finding new living arrangements, insurance claims and overcoming the traumatizing event.

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