Lightning Likely Cause Of Waltham House Fire

A lightening strike is believed to have started a fire that destroyed a home in Waltham Thursday morning.

The fire on Cave Hill Road was reported around 7 a.m., according to WABI-TV5.

The homeowner said the structure was the family's starter home and no one was living in it. The building was being used as a greenhouse and to store tools.

It is believed that lightning sparked the fire but an official cause of the blaze has not been released.

The lightning came during a round of severe weather that also brought heavy rain and gusty winds to parts of the state.

Weather forecasters say it is rare for lighting to strike the ground this time of year.

"We do get thunderstorms during snow storms but that’s usually from one cloud to another cloud, not cloud to ground," said WABI meteorologist Chris Ewing. "Probably occurs maybe once every twenty years or something like that, to get strong thunderstorms during the month of February.”

The flames did not spread to the main house and no one was injured during the fire.