weekend storm whipped through Fayette County and

left its mark on several homes, although nowhere

near the extent of the damage suffered a month

ago in Fayetteville.

The

Fayette County Department of Fire and Emergency

Services answered four lightning-related calls

within an hour Saturday evening, according to

Capt. Pete Nelms. "We were extremely

busy," he said.

Most

of that action was in the northwest section of

the county, Nelms reported.

Firefighters

responded to a call at 4:57 p.m. Saturday at 135

Rocky Creek Court, where lightning struck a gas

meter and caused some damage to a house.

Another

gas meter on fire due to lightning was called in

at 5:15. It occurred at 215 Brandon Mill Circle.

Heavy

roof damage was caused by a lightning-induced

fire at 255 Blackberry Run, which was reported at

5:28 p.m. Initial assessments place the damage at

more than $50,000.

structure fire at 290 Butterfield Lane, near New

Hope Road, was reported at 5:42, with lightning

also the cause.

fire spotted by Tyrone police officers at an

unoccupied home at 100 Stop Circle Drive was

called in just before 2 a.m. Sunday.

It

was apparently caused by lightning as well,

although the storm left the Tyrone area at about

9:30 Saturday evening.

Nelms

said that lightning can strike a building and

take several hours before enough oxygen and heat

is accumulated to ignite.

Anyone

who suspects that his or her home has been struck

you think your situation is not serious enough to

do so, you should continue to monitor the

structure in case a delayed fire such as this

breaks out, Nelms said.

Numerous

other lightning strikes to houses occurred

throughout the county, with damage also being

caused by minor debris in some areas. There were

also reports that the Ulta 3 retail store in

Fayette Pavilion was hit by lightning, perhaps

twice.

About

five roads were blocked by debris and cleared up

The

Fayetteville Fire Department delivered mutual aid

throughout the weekend.

"It

was a busy, busy evening," Nelms said,

"but certainly nothing like what happened a

few weeks ago."

Peachtree

City apparently escaped the kind of damage seen

The

Peachtree City Public Works Department reported

power and cable outages in the city, but there

was nothing that required direct attention from

the city, according to city spokesperson Betsy

Tyler.

Similar

good fortune was reported by the Peachtree City

Fire Department, with no damage to speak of.

"The magic bubble over Peachtree City held

once again," said Capt. Ed Eiswerth.

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