'This was our retirement dream home': Lightning strike destroys veteran's home

TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — A Vietnam veteran and his wife are thankful their neighbors rushed to their aid after their home was destroyed by fire – sparked by a lightning strike.

Mike and Amy Miller were out when their house of only five months caught fire.

They returned shortly after to discover their “dream retirement home” engulfed in flames and their neighbors trying to make sure the couple and their dog were out safely.

They were out beating on the windows and doors before the fire trucks got here,” Mike said. “They ran towards danger to try to help us.

The exact moment of the strike Thursday night, and subsequent stream of neighbors who ran to help, was all caught on camera. The force broke the brick exterior of the home and hurtled pieces across the street.

A lifetime of the Miller’s memories, mostly gone in a flash.

“Our photos albums weren't touched, and our videos weren't touched," Amy said, but her husband’s possessions and mementos from his years in the U.S. Army were destroyed.

Mike "lied" about his age when he was 17 years old – "almost 18" – so he could enlist. He served in Vietnam from 1971 to 1972.

Decades have passed since his time in combat, but Mike said walking through the door of his charred home brought him back.

An episode I had in ‘Nam. It wasn’t good," he said, trailing off into thought. “A bomb had went off over there, booby trap, just too much.

The couple’s home was insured, and they are planning to rebuild.

A GoFundMe has been set up to help with their expenses.

“There's no sense leaving," said Miller. “This is my family, my home. I have good neighbors, I don't want to leave them.”