Those who lived in the house on Cedar Street managed to get out unharmed, Dawson said.
Angel Strozier says she was sitting on her couch at her home in Greenwood when she heard lightning strike down the block.
“It was loud, it made me jump,” she said. “I looked outside and all I seen was my son's best friend's house up in smoke."
Strozier says an adult woman was home when the fire began. She was not injured.
Three people lived in the rental house, including a 9-year-old boy.
"My son's been best friends with him for two years now,” Strozier said. “They play together, they stay the night with each other. I mean, they're just great people."
Greenwood Fire Chief Stewart Bryan estimates about 40 percent of the home was damaged as a result of the lightning strike, including one bedroom and part of the attic.
“We've got quite a bit of the personal property that we're pulling out and getting covered,” he said. “We're expecting some more rain in the area so we're going to try to cover the holes and everything and take care of that for them."
Bryan said rain can help with suppressing a fire, but severe storms this time of year actually create more work for firefighters.
"We have more problems with lightning fires than anything else,” he said. “Seems like anytime we get a good storm blow through we have at least one call if not two from lightning strikes or wind damage on trees pulling electric lines."
Strozier says her son and his best friend are the same size, so she'll be giving the family some clothes for the boy.
“It's just a tragedy,” she said. “It's sad. I’d hate for anybody to go through this."
