Lightning Destroys Building South of Effingham

(A SHOT OF THE FIRE AT THE ROEPKE PROPERTY TAKEN BY A NEIGHBOR)

The ferocious lightning that visited the Effingham area Wednesday night left its calling card, causing major damage to a machine shed on the Gary Roepke property south of Heartville.

A neighbor said Gary's son, Justin, was inside the shed when the lightning bolt hit, saying he could "hear the sizzle". Justin Roepke was not injured, but the lightning strike caused a fire.

Watson Fire Chief Matt Kulesza said the shed housed Gary Roepke's paint and stain business in one part and his deer operation in the other area. All livestock was out of the shed when firefighters arrived. Kulesza said Watson pulled a full still, which brought in engine companies from Shumway and Effingham. A tanker from Dieterich also assisted, and firefighters from Altamont and Edgewood staffed the Watson station.

Firefighters were on scene for 3-1/2 hours, having to use some foam on parts of the building to contain hot spots that were hard to reach. A backhoe from Lee Goeckner came in to pull the metal out of the shed so they could get to the remainder of the building.

Effingham City-County Ambulance Service was on scene to rehab firefighters.

No one was injured in the incident, and the house and garage that set close to the shed were not damaged.

The lightning triggered a number of alarms Wednesday night, including one to St. Anthony Catholic Church in Effingham, but there were no reports of fire or damage.

We had a report 2.5 inches of rain on the Effingham-Clay county line, while we recorded 1.5 inches of rainfall at our studios at Fayette and Willow.