CENTER TWP — For the second time in consecutive weeks and just two miles apart, a lightning strike started a fire that badly damaged a house in the township, authorities said.

No one was at the single-story, ranch-style home on Moore Road about 11:20 a.m. when Mother Nature caused the most recent fire.

“It looks like lightning hit the chimney,” said Mike Pflugh, first assistant chief for the Unionville Volunteer Fire Department. “A neighbor said he saw it hit.”

Moments later, fire broke out on the roof of Greg Milkovich's house between Route 308 and Holyoke Road in Center Township.

Dozens of firefighters from eight departments battled the blaze that began under a deluge of rain.

No one was injured but the home sustained severe damage, forcing Milkovich and his two adult sons, who also live there, to find temporary housing.

Damage was estimated at $150,000, said Unionville Fire Chief Nathan Wulff. The homeowner had insurance.

Neighbor Kevin Holt was watching television just two houses away when he heard a disturbing noise.

“It was an extremely loud clap of thunder and lightning,” he said. “It shook my house.”

He looked out a back window but didn't immediately see anything out of the ordinary.

But about the same time, contractor Dan McMahan was pulling up to Holt's house where he's doing a remodeling job. He saw the fire and two men pulling a boat on a trailer out of the home's driveway next to the attached garage.

McMahan, who owns McMahan Construction in Meridian, advised Holt of the fire.

“I saw flames licking out the roof,” Holt said.

McMahan noticed a car in the two-stall garage and sprang into action.

“I went into the garage and found the keys in the ignition,” he said, “and drove the car out of the garage.” He parked it in the yard safely away from the growing fire.

It turned out that the two men that McMahan saw pulling the boat out of harm's way were Pflugh and Mike Iscrupe, Unionville's second assistant fire chief.

The two firefighters had arrived there first in their personal vehicles.

“I saw heavy smoke and flames coming from the roof over the garage,” Pflugh said. He learned that no one was in the house and he began helping to coordinate the response with other departments.

His first walk around the house provided him with evidence of the lightning strike.

“There were bricks blown off the chimney,” Pflugh recounted.

He said he and Iscrupe “yanked (the boat) out of the way” before additional manpower showed up. Before long, hose lines were hitting the house with water in back and in front.

Firefighters also used foam to battle the blaze.

“By the time they got foam on one half (of the roof),” Holt said, “the other half was on fire.”

Shortly after noon, an attack crew made its way inside through the front door.

“We had good containment,” Pflugh said, “by 12:30 p.m.”

Assisting the Unionville VFD were firefighters from West Sunbury, Oneida Valley, Slippery Rock, Butler Township Fire District 3, East Butler, Chicora and South Butler.

The Butler chapter of the American Red Cross was later called to assist the Milkovich family.

Thursday's fire came just eight days after a fire, also caused by lightning, hit a log home on nearby Spring Run Road in Center Township.

A family of four was home but they managed to escape uninjured. Damage was estimated at $150,000. The house was insured.

The family is living in temporary housing while they rebuild.