Lightning hits homes on Vancouver Island as storm swept across region

A Vancouver Island family experienced a frightening near-disaster when lightning struck their Courtenay home during a severe thunderstorm on Thursday night.

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Huge flash of light. Big bang and I felt a really big shock in my leg.

Cooper Preston, who was in an upstairs bedroom, described a "huge flash of light" followed by a "big bang." He reported feeling a "really big shock" in his leg as the lightning hit the roof peak of their home, igniting a fire.

His mother, Angie, called 911 and was informed by the operator that another neighbor had also reported a home burning after a lightning strike. The family quickly gathered their belongings and evacuated the house. Fortunately, Cooper stated he felt fine following the incident.

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So we just gathered up our stuff and got outside.

The storm's impact extended beyond the single home, causing widespread flooding in the area and several power outages due to downed trees. Chief Kurt McDonald of the Courtenay Fire Department noted the unusually high volume of calls received simultaneously, stating it had been a long time since such an electrical storm had passed through the valley. Fire crews from Cumberland and the Comox Valley were dispatched to assist with the numerous calls in Courtenay.

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It’s been a long time since we’ve had this many calls at the same time in our area, and definitely a long time since we had an electrical storm go through the valley like the one we’ve just experienced.