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A lightning strike apparently sparked a fire that destroyed a Whitley County home Tuesday night.

Firefighters say some teenagers house-sitting for the owners were standing out on a deck at a home along Buc Road around 10 p.m. when they saw a lightning bolt strike the house. The home immediately went up in flames. The boys rushed in and got friends who were still inside safely out. Three fire departments responded to battle the blaze, but the fire destroyed the home.

"You know we arrived pretty quick. We had three departments, several firefighters, and once it burnt through that wall where he (the fire) could get some oxygen, he (the house) just went to the ground," Three Point Fire and Rescue Deputy Chief Glen Willmore said.

There were no reported injuries.

Officials say the home owners were in California on vacation.