Shortly after 5:30 p.m. on July 2, the Idaho Falls Fire Department (IFFD) and Bonneville County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) were dispatched to the 6000 block of E. Panorama Drive in Bonneville County after an individual saw smoke coming from the top of a house and called the Bonneville County/Idaho Falls Dispatch Center.
A severe thunderstorm warning from Blackfoot north to Rigby was issued by the US National Weather Service in Pocatello just after 5 p.m. this evening. During the fire investigation, an individual reported witnessing a bolt of lightning hit near the home.
None of the occupants were home when the fire started. All pets, with the exception of two cats, fled from the home without injury before emergency personnel arrived. The two cats were later found by firefighters safe inside the garage after the fire was extinguished.