Strong Storms Leave Behind A Mess In Montgomery County

TAKOMA PARK, Md. (WJZ) -- Maryland saw some wild weather this week. Strong storms leave behind a mess in Montgomery County. Lightning strikes toppled trees and even ignited a few fires.

Linh Bui has a look at the damage.

One man says a lightning strike near his home sounded like a cannon going off. The storms were not widespread, but where they hit, they did damage.

The sounds of chainsaws and a wood chipper fill a Takoma Park neighborhood, as a crane lifts huge branches from a crushed roof. Early Thursday morning, an oak tree dating back to the Civil War blasted through an historic home.

"I've heard limbs hit the house before. I had no idea it was the whole tree. It's a 100-foot-tall tree and its girth is huge," said Bob Engelhart.

It was a close call.

"Joints, I would say, from the rafters were propelled like shots into the living space. So if you had been in a particular spot, you could have been almost speared," said Engelhart.

Lightning sparked three house fires in Montgomery County Wednesday night.

"Lots of thunder and one large cracking noise. That's what it sounded like... 'Snap!'" said Alex Liu.

That snap ignited the most serious fire in Liu's Rockville townhouse.

"The roof was ablaze pretty seriously and then debris was falling off the roof," he said.

It's been a wild weather week, from flash floods that trapped drivers and ruined homes in Prince George's County to lightning fires and falling trees. The good news is there have been no serious injuries.

The worst fire caused more than $100,000 in damage and displaced 16 people.

The heavy thunderstorms also left thousands without power.

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