BEAVERTON, Ore. -- Thunderstorms and lightning hit the Portland metro area Wednesday night and Thursday morning, leaving behind some damage in the process.
Lightning struck three trees near Southwest 84th Avenue and Garden Home Road in Beaverton. One of the trees caught fire and then split.
Craig Larsen was sleeping when the thunder woke him up after 6:30 p.m.
"And then all of a sudden big boom, big flash, and then a little bit later another big boom and flash. I mean, really like right on top of you," he said.
It was right on top of Larsen. But somebody else told him about the flames.
"Doorbell rings and some guy driving by says, "Hey, your tree's on fire.' I called 911 and I said, 'OK, great,'" Larsen recalled.
"Yea, there was fire on it for a long time and then the fire guys came and put the flames out. And about five minutes later over she went," Larsen said.
Next door, two sequoias split and splintered. Debris from the 90-foot trees covered the ground.
Doug Kelley was looking out the back window when the trees blew up.
"Didn't see a flash, didn't see anything, just heard the explosion," Kelley said. "And moments later huge chunks of tree falling around me, in front o fme. And then I started to cry.
Kelley was shedding tears because he grew up in the home. And his family felt a connection with the 50-year-old sequoias.
"I always look at these and say my dad planted them," Kelley said. "And now, I won't have them to refer to, and that will be said.
Fortunately, no one was physically hurt.