Lightning Sparks Fire in Royal Palm Beach

At least nine people were forced out of their homes Thursday night after a lightning strike caused a two-alarm fire in Royal Palm Beach.

"I heard this really, really loud sound -- I mean, so incredibly loud it, like, deafened me for a couple seconds," said Caryl Schwartz-Dunifan, who was home when lightning hit the roof of her condo around 4:30 pm.

Schwartz-Dunifan says she didn't think the situation was serious until she saw flames outside her window; that's when she grabbed her cell phone and ran out the door. The whole thing happened so fast, Schwartz-Dunifan didn't have time to chase after her cat, Lucy.

The flames spread quickly between the three upstairs condos at 610 Lakeview Drive East because the units are older and lack modern fire walls, said Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Captain Don DeLucia. Firefighters had to tear through the ceiling and walls to prevent the flames from spreading.

Once the blaze was out, residents were allowed back in their homes to retrieve some belongings. Schwartz-Dunifan told rescue crews that Lucy, her cat, might still be inside, and that she feared the feline might be hiding under her bed.

Shortly after, firefighters came out with Lucy in their arms. The cat appeared scared, but escaped unscathed.

"I've been trying for probably two hours now to not cry, and that was the closest I came to crying," Schwartz-Dunifan said. "I'm trying to hold it together."

The American Red Cross is assisting nine residents, including Schwartz-Dunifan, by putting them in hotels and providing money for clothing and food.

The three upstairs condos have significant damage from smoke and fire and will likely need to be rebuilt, fire officials said. The three downstairs units sustained water damage.