Watch as lightning strikes palm tree a few feet from couple talking on back porch

SAN TAN VALLEY, Ariz. (KTVK/KPHO/Gray News) - A lightning strike set a palm tree on fire a few feet away from a woman and her boyfriend, who caught the whole thing on camera.

Lisette De La Cruz and her boyfriend, Miguel Olivas Jr., are still shaken up after witnessing a lightning bolt strike a palm tree in her backyard.

“Mind blown. Once in a lifetime right there,” De La Cruz said.

De La Cruz said they had just returned from a camping trip and were talking outside her back porch just before 1:30 a.m. Sunday when Olivas started recording using his cellphone’s camera.

In the video, a loud blast could be heard, and a bright flash could be seen before Olivas flipped the camera to show the palm tree on fire.

Olivas said his mind was racing.

“I had like a lot of things going through like, ‘Holy Moly!’” he said. “It just sounded like fireworks went off just out of the blue, and I jumped.”

The couple said they ran inside to alert De Las Cruz’s family. Her father is said to have used a hose to douse the tree with water while they waited for fire crews to show up.

The palm tree still stands despite part of the upper trunk being burned to a crisp. Charred tree pieces made a mess in the backyard and the pool.

De Las Cruz said some embers landed on a neighbor’s bush but did not start a fire. She and Olivas are grateful no one was hurt, but they’re still in shock.

“It was just a beautiful experience, while very frightening at the same time. But I got a little teary-eyed because I didn’t know how to react or anything,” Olivas said.

He said every time they watch the video, their adrenaline kicks back in.

“I am speechless for that. To me, that’s better than a lottery ticket,” he said.

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