'It was like a grenade went off'; bolt of lightning goes through man's chimney

BARROW COUNTY, Ga. — A Barrow County man said he will have to sleep in his father's barn after a lightning bolt charged through his home, leaving it a mess.

David Hall told Channel 2's Rikki Klaus he believes lightning entered his chimney and ravaged his living room, as he sat just feet away from the fireplace.

"It was like a grenade went off in there," Hall said.

He said he was relaxing in his recliner around 7:30 a.m. Sunday watching the news in the living room of his Auburn home when he heard a huge bang.

"And all of the sudden, a big white flash in front of me. When I got my vision back, I could see that my TV was laying in front of me. It had been blown off the wall," Hall told Klaus.

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Hall believes lightning shot through the chimney of his home on Apalachee Church Road. The force peeled rocks from the wall.

"When I went to the kitchen, I noticed that the electrical outlets had been blown out there-- and my microwave had been blown across the floor," Hall said.

Hall said he then checked for fire.

"Of course, you had a big outlet here. It was blown out," Hall told Klaus, showing her the outlet.

The homeowner showed Klaus pictures from inside his living room showing the room filled with thick smoke.

When Hall could not find any flames, he said, he dialed 911 for help. He said six fire trucks responded within minutes. Crews cut the power to the home.

"It's just a tremendous force, and like a fireman said, I'm lucky to be here, but lightning's just a peculiar element, and you just don't know what it's going to do next,"

Hall said he had been monitoring the weather that morning, and had no idea lightning was so close.

He has contacted his insurance company to help pay for the extensive damage.

Cox Media Group