'It just sounded like a bomb': Lightning splits tree near home in Marion County

MONITOR, Ore. — Lightning split a tree in half near a home in Marion County Sunday evening and the fiery aftermath was caught on video.

"It just sounded like a bomb," Joseph LaBansky, who shot some of the footage, told a KATU reporter Monday.

He said he feared for his adult daughter's life after seeing and hearing the blast, which happened in Monitor, a community near Mt. Angel. She was home alone at the time.

LaBansky said he was about a quarter-mile away from the house on Meridian Road Northeast when he saw, heard and felt the explosion.

"We had a freak storm," LaBansky explained, saying he was coming home from a friend's house around 7:40 p.m. Sunday.

Just before he got there he said he had to stop.

"I pulled off to get under cover 'cause the hail was so big and so powerful and it was thundering and lightning," LaBansky said. "And all of a sudden I saw just a huge explosion and with a flash of light. ... The concussion of the lightning strike was so powerful it hurt my ears when I was in the car. And then I looked over and saw a plume of black smoke and I go, 'Boy, I think it hit my house.' So I got down here as fast as I could and luckily it was the tree. ... I was thankful for that because my daughter was here by herself and then all hell broke loose."

LaBansky's daughter, Kayla LaBansky, took photos and video as well. She said at first she also thought the lightning had hit the house but was happy to discover that wasn't the case.

Joseph said crews from the Monitor Fire District showed up a few minutes after he called 911.

"It had shot debris clear across the road. Big chunks of the tree were laying in the road actually," he said. "I've never experienced anything like it before in my life. I love stormy lightning, thunder. I love that type of weather. Yesterday completely turned me off of that. Now I realize how dangerous it can be and I am thankful it didn't hit my house."

Firefighters said no one was hurt.