Lightning apparently caused a house fire early Saturday afternoon in the Arbor Bluff subdivision just west of Washington.

Homeowners Ed and Jeanette Henry said they were enjoying a quiet day at home when lightning struck the roof of their log house some time after noon.

“It was a crack,” Jeanette Henry said. “Like a bomb.”

The couple’s smoke alarm started sounding, and the two evacuated the house.

“The worst is over,” Ed Henry said. “We didn’t get hurt.”

The fire reportedly was out at about 1:30 p.m., perhaps sooner. There was no word on the extent of damage to the home.

Responding to the fire were the Clark’s Neck Volunteer Fire Department, Old Ford Volunteer Fire Department and a Washington emergency medical services unit.

A Washington Electric Utilities truck also was at the scene.

As firefighters worked to douse the flames, neighbors approached to offer the Henry family help, including a place to stay if it was needed.

At the time the fire began, Washington was being deluged by a thunderstorm that caused short-term, localized flooding along U.S. Highway 264.

The storm also unleashed cloud-to-ground lightning strikes as it moved through and away from the city.