Lightning striking a nearby tree early Monday is believed to be the cause of a fire that severely damaged a rural Marshfield home, authorities said.
Town of McMillan Fire Chief Rodney Bauer said the fire broke out about 5:30 a.m. shortly after lightning struck a tree about 12 feet from the home. At least half the home was damaged.
The woman who lives at the home said she heard the lightning blast and went outside to walk around the house, seeing no apparent problems, Bauer said.
The woman returned to bed and then smelled smoke, he said.
The fire chief said a trend of recent fires for his department is that homes either have old smoke detectors or the batteries are worn out.
"It is still a problem and people need to check their detectors," said Bauer, reporting some of the detectors in the fire Monday were not operational.