Straw bale house burned (lightning strike)

OMG! I just found out about this... it happened 3 days ago. My friend Wade Johnson bought this straw bale house from us back in 1999. My former husband and I built it!!! On June 16th, a huge storm went through Saunders county, Nebraska and lightning struck the house, burning it. Wade had no insurance on the house (it was a load bearing straw bale home), and he had decorated it so lovely inside, filled with antiques. He and his animals were able to escape, thank goodness! But the house… this loss is absolutely devastating for him.



You can see the image where the lightning struck the east wall (the south wall had lots of large windows as it was passive solar) and blew it out. Some of the straw smoldered, and much of the framing inside and old wooden furniture, etc. burned. He was only able to salvage some of his belongings, but it appears that althought 3/4 of the house is still standing, it is done and will need to be torn down and rebuilt. Very sad!



I don't know if it is appropriate to put the GoFundMe link on this post to help Wade out, but please do if you find it in your heart to do so. He has no insurance so needs all the help he can get.

https://gofund.me/09facc3b

Were those windows steel framed?
I have never seen that before.
You also may be surprised about how it may not need to be pulled down.
I wonder if a lighting rod would have helped, I see it on some buildings?

From; House fires started by Lighting
The National Weather Service reports that lightning starts about 4,400 house fires each year, causing around $283 million in damages.
About 16 deaths are attributed to lightning-caused fires each year, most of the victims being occupants of houses ignited by a bolt.
Although every lightning strike could start a fire, some are more likely than others to do so. Some flashes contain a continuous flow of electricity, known as a continuing current or "hot lightning."
In such cases, the charge flows continuously over a sustained period of time rather than in intermittent surges.
This longer period of charge flow causes the stricken object to heat up and possibly ignite, according to the Weather Service.
From; When lightening hits
When a lightning charge travels through electrical wiring, it can cause an explosive surge. This may cause a fire and almost certainly will destroy the wires.
The surge can also damage any appliances (particularly electronics like computers and entertainment centers) that are connected to the electrical system.
Surge protectors can protect against small surges but are unlikely to prevent damage from a direct lightning strike.
Damage can also be caused by the shock waves that lightning creates, which are audible like thunder.
At close range, these waves can be destructive, causing structural degradation and cracking in concrete, brick, cinderblock, and stone.
Brick and stone chimneys are particularly susceptible to lightning damage. Shock waves can also fracture objects and create shrapnel, flying debris that can be propelled at dangerous speeds around structures.

This talks about lighting rods,
This company installs them, https://lightningrods.com/

When we originally built it, we installed window glass (we got used) in a wooden frame, but the new owners may have changed that years ago. The sliding glass door on the south 'solar gain' side would have been metal for sure. Other windows were probably vinyl clad, as I recall, which we got used. We did a lot of salvaging, bartering, and used and free stuff (we were given an entire set of pre-hung interior doors, for instance). All the framing inside the house was wood (from an old barn that was taken down), which all evidently burned based on the photos.

He says the house is not salvageable.