NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. -- As strong storms swept through Northeast Florida Monday afternoon, a lightning-strike fire destroyed a house in Nassau County.

Neighbors in the area just west of Hilliard told Channel 4 that about five minutes after the lightning struck they saw smoke.

"Kaboom -- and it sizzled real loud," said witness Jonathan Hill.

He said he heard the noise and saw a bolt of lightning hit a home near his. The first thing he did was call for help.

"I called 911 before I even seen the fire and smoldering smoke coming from the house," Hill said.

Firefighters said the home went up in flames quickly. The home was under construction and vacant at the time of the blaze.

Nassau County officials told Channel 4 the fire happened during the height of Monday's storms while resources were already stretched thin.

"It's been a very active day. While this call was going on, we've had numerous calls of reported motor vehicle crashes and medical calls. We've had to move units throughout the county to make sure we could expedite response to those other calls for service that are currently going on," said Nassau County Fire Chief Chuck Cooper.

Investigators said the home was total loss and that the damage done to the home was the result of a direct lightning strike.