Couple's Home Struck By Lightning

The stormy weekend weather has one Whitfield County family looking for a new place to live. That's after all of their belongings, their home, and car were ruined in a fire after firefighters say lightening hit.

The Cohutta homeowners shared their experience and how they got out alive with NewsChannel 9's Erica Green.

" We're just thankful to be alive. That's all you can say. We lost all everything but we can rebuild. You can't replace lives," said Theresia McKinney whose home was ruined in fire

If that's all Theresia and Carl McKinney can say, it's more than most can muster up just hours after escaping the fire that ruined all of their belongings including their car. You can see what's left of their outside table and the swing their grandson used to play on. Theresia says she woke up when the fire alarm went off.

" When it went off I came up and it was burning around the T.V. Out the back of the TV and up the front and it caught the windows the curtains on fire. I tried to get the fire extinguisher and I couldn't get it going," said Therseia.

Then Theresia says she tried to call the Fire Department but she couldn't get through. She later found out a tree had fallen on the phone line. She was able to get her grandson out of the house and then went back for her husband.

" So I went to the bedroom window and started beating it with my telephone and woke him up and he came out and told him to come out the bathroom window because the house was so full of smoke."

" Just was unbelievable like a nightmare just unreal," said carl McKinney.

" We'll relocate. We've got neighbors and friends and loved ones that's just all day long. People have just been precious to us."

Whitfield County Fire Investigators say the fire definitely started from lightening hitting the house and coming inside through the TV power line circuit. Now the McKinney's Insurance Company will investigate to find out how much money they'll get to rebuild.