PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Two structure fires in Butler County Monday night were caused by lightning, according to investigators.

The roof of a home on Lakeview Circle in Middlesex Township went up in flames after storms rolled through in the early evening.

First responders rescued a dog from that home after a state trooper kicked in the door.

The storms were heavy and short lived, and many could smell the damage before they even saw it.

“It was just raining real hard. All I heard was a big bang and saw the smoke coming out of the trailer,” Brian Wright said.

“The lightning lit up the house and we heard the flash of thunder,” Anne Jones said.

A home was struck and smoldered for a while before anyone noticed the danger.

“My daughter called us and said, ‘the house behind us is on fire,’” Jones said. “We didn’t know if it was the lightning, but she said, “I wonder if it was that big lightning that lit up the house.’”

State troopers searched the house. Nobody was home, but a dog was present.

A few miles away, a storage facility also caught fire. The shed is along route 228 in Adams Township.

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