By Barbara Brown
Russ and Cyndee Williams were watching television Wednesday night as a major storm passed through North Branch.
Then, at about 9 p.m. a flash of light was followed by a crack of thunder that shook the whole town.
The lightning strike that preceded the thunder ripped through the roof of the house and into the upstairs storage room of the Williams two-story, wood-framed home on Flink Avenue at 417th Street.
"I thought it hit the tractor," said Cyndee Williams. "I looked out the window and all there was was a ball of fire."
Cyndee Williams went into the couplesí first floor bathroom and began smelling sulphur.
She went back into the living room and her husband Russ confirmed that he, too, had sensed a burning smell.
The couple went upstairs as fast as the could and discovered the loft bedroom where their son stays when he visits was full of smoke.
The couplesí own bedroom also was quickly filling with smoke.
Cyndee Williams opened the door to the attic which accesses the storage area above the garage and was confronted with fire.
The couple ran out of the house and Cyndee Williams ran to the side to get the garden hose as Russ Williams called 911.
"It was too late," Cyndee Williams said. "By the time I dragged the hose around the glass on the windows was already broken and flames were shooting out of the side."
Shortly after the 911 call, North Branch, Harris and Rush City fire departments arrived at the house.
Some fire fighters began knocking down the fire, running hoses through the front door of the house to soak the blaze.
Others began hauling belonging out of the garage including the couplesí red Pontiac Grand Am, the side panel of which was bubbling and charring from the heat of the fire which had dropped down into the garage.
"They were just great," Cyndee Williams said of the fire fighters. "They were so kind and helpful."
Cyndee Williams has lived at the house since 1984 and the neighbors on the rural dirt road west of town came out to do what they could to help.
The Barsness family, which lives down the road, came to the scene with coats and pitched in where they could.
"We were freezing and soaked. It was just pouring," Cyndee Williams said.
The couple not only lost the fast majority of their belongings ñ including a brand new bed, Cyndeeís motherís antique doll collection, photographs and Christmas decorations ñ they also have not developed a plan to pay for repairs.
Russ Williams used to work as a trucker, spending 25 years hauling from Petersonís Mill and the past five contracted with AA Transportation. Five weeks ago, Russ had a stroke that left him unable to work.
Cyndee Williams has osteoarthritis and canít get around very well.
As the couple wiped away tears, they spoke with an insurance adjuster who arrived at about noon on Thursday to assess the damage.
But of all the material things they lost, which Cyndee said can always be replaced, the scariest and sad thing for the couple is the possibility that two of their three cats may have died or ran away because of the fire.
Buddy is a chubby tabby, Cyndee Williams said. "He thinks heís a raccoon." Woody is black and white with a medium brown bulls-eye shape on his side and white paws.
Dolly, mother to Buddy, sadly walks around the house, mewing softly and looking for her friends.

Editorís note: To help the Williamsí, please call the Post Review at (651) 674-7025.

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