Cedar Hills lightning strike tree, catches on fire

CEDAR HILLS — The Augustus family wasn’t home when a lightning bolt struck their front yard, igniting a 15-foot-evergreen tree.

An intense storm rolled over Northern Utah County, Wednesday afternoon, bringing heavy rains and crashes of thunder.

“All of us jumped back.  I admit I stepped further into the garage, not knowing if another bolt of lightning was going to hit,” William Thresher said.

Thresher owns Thresher Piano Movers.  He was on a job moving a large safe, two houses over, when lightning struck.

“Usually, you can count one-1,000, two-1,000 after lightning strikes, and you count your way up to the thunder.  But they both happened at the same time,” Thresher said. “It was so loud.  I looked outside the garage, and the neighbor’s tree was full of flames.”

Witnesses said smoke filled the air and almost blocked the Augustus’ home completely.

Neighbors called 911 and alerted Augustus to the problem.  He was working out of state in Colorado when the texts hit his phone.

“Hopefully it’s not my house!! That’s what was going through my mind.  When you see something like that, you just never know how devastating it could become. A couple of minutes can make a big difference,” Augustus said.

In those crucial moments, a teenage neighbor ran to get a hose from Augustus’ backyard.  That teenage boy quickly got the hose into Thresher’s hands and turned on the water.

“It was unbelievable how quickly the flames spread by the time I actually got the hose on the tree,” Thresher said.  “It was crazy!  These homes in Cedar Hills sit on 1/10th of an acre.  They are very close to each other. How many other lives would that have impacted if this home had started on fire and spread to others?”

The Augustus family expressed sincere gratitude for those who rushed to action to put the fire out.

“You know it’s awesome because a lot of times people will stand on the sidelines because they don’t want to be involved,” Augustus said.  “Just to know that there are a lot of people out there who are willing to jump in and help — it is inspiring.  We wanted to share this story because it’s positive and shows a connection.  And we all could use a little more positivity in our lives.”

Fire Crews showed up shortly after Thresher sprayed the tree.  Firefighters removed the tree and put out the hot spots on the roots and surrounding areas.

“I felt like a kid in the candy store; how many opportunities do you get to play fireman?” Thresher said.

Related stories: Some firefighters temporarily pulled due to lightning near the Monroe Canyon Fire