Lightning struck at a house in North Hempfield on Friday afternoon and caught the roof on fire.

The homeowners, Mary and David Simpson of Downes Road, were home in the kitchen, preparing for supper, when the lightning hit the roof around 5 p.m.

“It was real loud. I jumped,” Mary Simpson said.

No one was injured.

Simpson said she initially thought the lightning hit the back porch, but her husband walked around the house saw fire coming from the roof.

“We just got a new roof,” Mary Simpson said as she watched firefighters cut a hole to get to the fire.

Neighbors saw the fire and several were calling Westmoreland 911, Simpson said.

One of Simpson’s neighbor, Michael Headrick, said he also heard a loud bang while he was inside his home and jumped at the sound.

“I knew it had to be real close,” Headrick said.

North Hempfield firefighters were assisted by multiple units from Hempfield and Adamsburg, Jeannette and Greensburg. Details about the extent of the damage were not available Friday night.

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