The American Red Cross is helping a Big Island family after a suspected lightning strike started a fire that destroyed the family’s Hawaiian Acres home in Puna Saturday.

No one was injured in the blaze.
Barney Sheffield, Red Cross disaster coordinator on the Big Island, said the fire began during an intense thunderstorm that hit the island over the weekend. He said fire officials believe a lightning strike was responsible for the fire.
The storm caused minor flooding across the Big Island, he said. There also were reports of hail, scattered power outages, and a waterspout off the Kona Coast yesterday.