Houston-area chef's home goes up in flames after lightning strike

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A quick-thinking nanny helped rescue multiple children in her care from a fast-moving house fire Saturday.

Hurricane Harvey victims Bryan and Jennifer Caswell were at their restaurant "Reef" when they received a frantic call from their nanny.

"We ran over here and the kids were already out. I ran in, got the fire extinguisher, got to the third story. I almost passed out. I fell over and tripped. I couldn't see anything in front of my face because of all the smoke," Bryan said.

The fire started at their home on Stratford and Mason in Montrose just after midnight.

Investigators say the fire started overnight after lightning struck the home.

The Caswells told Eyewitness News the bolt hit the right side of their house, traveled down the chimney and into the electrical system.

The damages extend from a hole in the roof to the whole top floor gone, water damage and smoke damage.

But this is not the Caswells' first rendezvous with Mother Nature.

This time fire struck, but 10 months ago it was water from Hurricane Harvey.

"Bryan and I were at Reef restaurant. We own Reef restaurant. We're still trying to rebuild that from the storm. We took in a lot of water. We actually had the insurance guy there this morning," Jennifer said.

The family credits the firefighters for working quickly to put out the flames.

Despite the damage, they told ABC13 they will rebuild. They love their neighborhood too much to leave.

"We're Montrose people. We live here. We're not going anywhere," Jennifer said.