Ball of fire shot through home

MIDDLETON -- A thunderstorm struck fear in a Middleton neighborhood last night, and it appears lightning struck a house there, filling the upstairs with smoke. 

That family is back in their home on New Castle Drive today.

The family says they were still up when they heard the thunder crash around 10:30 p.m. and saw a ball of fire shoot out of their kitchen.

"We were watching television and we heard the storm come and the lightning," said Kerry Bradshaw.

Kerry Bradshaw was still awake with her 14-year-old son when she heard that thunder roll through her neighborhood.

"It was a really loud thunder bolt and we heard a crash and saw a fire ball come in through the kitchen," said Bradshaw.

Kerry says it shook her house.  She thought her windows had blown out.

"It sounded like the house split in half," she said.

She quickly ran to check on her five-month-old baby asleep upstairs.

"Saw that there was smoke upstairs in the house so we grabbed her and ran out and got everybody out OK and called the fire department," said Bradshaw.

Fire crews from Middleton and Star responded to the call.

The sound of the thunder was so loud neighbors got out to check their homes.

Amy Watson lives five houses away.

"It lit up the whole room, kids were jumping, we weren't sure what was going on," said Watson. "It really rocked everybody."

But the only home damaged was the Bradshaws.

"The damage was in the attic and in one of the bathrooms upstairs," said Star Fire Chief Kevin Courtney.

Courtney says investigators are now looking for signs of impact and are assessing the damage.

Kerry and David Bradshaw and their two children stayed with neighbors overnight.

"We have such a great neighborhood, we had several people offer," said Kerry Bradshaw.

Fire investigators tell they have not found a clear impact point on the home -- it could have also struck in the yard.

As we were leaving, a ladder truck was being brought into take a closer look.