PALMETTO, Fla. — A Sarasota County teacher and her family lost everything after a lightning strike caught their home on fire.
The fire started around 5 a.m. on July 30.
Firefighters from the North River Fire District responded to Gail Bower's home in Palmetto.
Bower's said she was just about to wake up when a noise startled her.
"I was getting ready to go to work, but I snoozed one more time at 5 a.m. Before my snooze alarm went off, huge boom, shook my whole house. I mean it was so loud. It sounded like a bomb went off. It was so scary," said Bowers.
WATCH: Sarasota County teacher loses home after lightning strike starts a fire
The noise also woke her son up.
"We both had our phones, naturally grabbed that, right, and we turn our flashlights on and that's when we just saw the smoke coming out of the vents. I mean, it was instantly because the lightning hit our ceiling, our roof and then it blew up the air conditioning condenser that was up on the roof," she said.
Only the two of them were home at the time. Bowers said they grabbed their dogs and got outside.
The upstairs of her home has fire and smoke damage. Firefighters said the downstairs also has water damage.
"We were very lucky nobody got hurt and that our dogs and our babies are safe and they're unharmed," said Bowers.
"Everything that we have, you know, that we've built on for the last 20 years is now gone," said Andrew Bowers, Gail's husband.
The family lost nearly all of their possessions. Their belongings were destroyed or smell of smoke including the jeans she wanted to wear on the first day of school.
"A coworker and I had just had a painting party and they are destroyed and so they're something small, but it was really sentimental. I was really excited about wearing those on the first day," said Bowers.
Bowers teaches kindergarten at Fruitville Elementary School in Sarasota. She's wanted to be a teacher since she was a child.
"I've always wanted to be around kids and help kids. I worked with preschool and early childhood education, and that's where I just found my passion," she said.
Bowers said her students, parents, friends, neighbors and her school have been so supportive. She's overwhelmed by the community's kindness.
"People have been reaching out to me, people I haven't spoken to in 20 years, parents from students I had 20 years ago, you know. It's been really touching," said Bowers.
A GoFundMe page is raising money for the family's immediate needs.
Bowers said despite the fire, she remains focused on her students who will start kindergarten very soon.
"One of the biggest days of their lives. This is the day they fall in love with learning, so it's my job to make sure they still have that experience, you know, no matter what's going on here. We can get through, but they still need to feel that love and excitement," said Bowers.
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