SHENANDOAH – A couple in Shenandoah was forced to evacuate their home after a lightning strike sparked a fire in the homes attic. The flames were reported at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday on Etonshire Court near South Emory Beach.

"It just sounded like a bomb went off,” said neighbor Debby Gibbs.

Gibbs said the flames appeared to come dangerously close to her home.

“I was looking up at this roofline of my garage and just beyond it you could see plumes of fire and smoke pouring out,” she said.

Firefighters from the Woodlands and several other nearby departments rushed to the scene and were able to extinguish the fire before it was able to spread.

"We had heavy smoke. Of course with the weather conditions the smoke was really, really low. Visibility just in the area around the house was really bad,” said Battalion Chief Mitch Hubbard with the Woodlands Fire Department.

No one was injured and the couple said they would stay with family for the night.