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Arizona man's truck goes up in flames after lightning strike

Truck in San Tan Valley struck by lightning.jpg
Posted at 10:20 PM, Aug 18, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-19 12:28:25-04

SAN TAN VALLEY, AZ — An Arizona man is essentially left with scrap metal after lighting hit his truck.

"This big old dent right here was where the lightning struck," said Richard Lange, motioning to the slightly caved-in, entirely charred roof. "I actually got up and looked on top of the roof and there's a small dent with a big white circle."

While he likely won't be able to fully repair the truck, known as "The Big Purple," Lange, a mechanic, said he is going to try and salvage what he can.

"We’re thinking about repurposing the axles, the drive-train underneath. Everything is perfectly fine," he said. "So the dream lives on, so to speak."

Videos show the truck engulfed in flames from the cab to the truck bed.

However, Lange said he feels lucky that it was also raining, which may have prevented a tree that was hanging above the truck from catching fire or worse, his home.