A lightning strike in Cumming, Georgia, has led to the total loss of a home belonging to the Legionaries of Christ, a Roman Catholic congregation. The severe storm occurred yesterday morning, leaving the local community and the priests and missionaries affected by the event rallying to find shelter and aid. The fire was reported around 4:45 a.m. at the residence on Woodsong Road, as confirmed by FOX 5 Atlanta.
Although most of the community’s twelve members were off-site, four of the priests who were at home at the time of the fire managed to escape unharmed, with the help of neighbors who quickly responded to their plight. Left destructive after the severe storms which they swept across the metro Atlanta area yesterday, which officials suggest may have been sparked by a direct lightning hit.
The associate pastor of St. Brendan the Navigator Parish, Fr. Scott Reilly, LC, recounted hearing of a priest seeing "a glow in the ceiling after the lightning strike," leading to the quick evacuation of the premises. "Our neighbors are amazing. They came to our aid right away. We went over to the neighbors right in front of us, who gave us coffee and whatever we needed. They had breakfast for us and were all so kind," Fr. Reilly told WSB-TV.
The priests serve various roles within the community, working at institutions such as Pinecrest Academy and St. Brendan the Navigator Parish, as well as across the Atlanta area. To assist with clean-up and rebuilding efforts, a GoFundMe fundraiser was established, aiming to raise $100,000 to cover expenses not met by insurance. By this morning, they had accumulated over half of the goal, topping $55,000. Those interested in contributing to the community’s recovery can do so by donating through the available GoFundMe link, as mentioned by the WSB-TV.
While the cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Forsyth County Fire Department, signs point towards the recent storms as the likely culprit. Officials acknowledged having "plenty of reason" to suspect that the lightning strike was the origin of the destructive fire, a fact cited by FOX 5 Atlanta.
