The inside of the Bertsches' shop on Boy Scout Road after the fire was extinguished.
Ben Haley looks at the larch that was hit by lightning. The tree was approximately 50 feet from the shop. The strike ignited a fire behind a cabinet that was below the boarded up window behind Haley.
SEELEY LAKE – An early morning thunderstorm Aug. 19 was a rude awaking for many in the valley but it proved to be especially rude for the Bertsch family who lives on Boy Scout Road in Seeley Lake. About 15 minutes after a lightning strike shook their house their son received a call from his friend Ben Haley informing them their shop down the road was on fire.
Ben and his mom just happened to be driving by around 7:30 a.m. when he spotted what looked like smoke. He kept looking as they drove by discussing whether it was smoke or fog.
Ben initially thought a slash pile was smoking but then spotted flames coming out a broken window. He immediately called his friend Cullen Bertsch and then they called 9-1-1.
When the Bertsches arrived at the shop they found the heat had broken out a small section of a window and cracked another section. Brian Bertsch said they were able to break out the larger window and spray water from a garden hose. Cullen and Ben raced back across the street and retrieved four fire extinguishers they also used to knock down the fire.
The fire, which started between a wall and a cabinet, had gotten hot enough to melt the light covers off fluorescent lights on the 14-foot ceiling.
The Seeley Lake volunteer firefighters responded to the call just before 8 a.m. Seeley Lake Fire Chief Dave Lane said lightning struck a nearby tree and ignited the shop.
Lane said the owners were actively working on it when the Fire Department arrived using a garden hose and fire extinguishers. The Department responded with six volunteers. The fire was completely extinguished in around 10 minutes of the Department arriving. The fire was contained to the interior of one exterior wall.
Lane said Ben spotting the fire early played a big part in containing the fire to the one wall. The rapid response by the owner and the Department firefighters also helped limit the damage.
Brian credited Ben with saving his shop. He felt that if the fire had gone undetected for even a little longer, it would likely have been fully engulfed.
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