A Pender County home caught on fire Monday evening after officials say lightning struck the house. The fire happened near Hampstead in the The Manor at Mill Creek subdivision around 6:30 p.m. “It’d be like a cannon going off,” said Steve McIntosh who saw lightning hit the home. “The sound the explosion it shook our house.” “From right here in my front yard you could feel the heat off the house it was intense,” said McIntosh. Neighbors like McIntosh were worried the couple who lives there were still inside. Fortunately, they were on the way to vacation with their dog. Neighbors tell us unfortunately they had just left and plan to return home to handle the damages.