Want a little Thunder? How bout a little Lightning?

So there I was chilling out under my carport making a few calls and enjoying the thunderstorm that was overhead. Just as I was leaving a message for a friend there was a flash of light and an intense BOOM. For a split moment I thought my phone blew up and my life flashed before my eyes. When I realized I was still alive I started cursing...badly. I think the message that ended up on my buddies phone sounded something like "What the F*ck was that? Holy Sh!t! Damn"...and much more and I told him I'd call him back later.
I looked down the street and didn't see anything, but I knew lightning struck close...very close. About 10 minutes later we found out how close...two doors down on the other side of the street. It appearently hit a tree and still unkown as to how but the house under the tree caught on fire. Welcome to the neighborhood...