That is a big ball, I only saw a small one one day after a lightning strike. I don't think it was bigger than a baseball.
I knew a guy who had one enter a house he was building, it came in a window opening, traveled down to the basement, then went over to an area where the power was going to the unattached garage, it went into the garage and attacked his circuit breaker box in the garage. I went to see the damage, the owner, Darian, told me he watched it come in the window opening, travel around scortching things and followed it down to the basement and it was gone when he got down there, and heard noise outside in his garage, but after it messed things up scorching things and frying his fuse box, it seemed to have disappeared. He told me that was bright but the size of a basketball. One thing he mentioned, it seemed to stay in the center of the hallways and went through the door opening in the walls instead of going through the studs...and it went around the corner to get to the steps and went down the steps like it could see where it was going. He was kind of weirded out by the way it seemed to have consciousness. The thing still scorched the studs even though it was centered in the halls and doorways. I saw the damage, it was like someone had taken a blowtorch and browned the studs and floor joist going to the basement on the steps. no scorching on the steps themself that I noticed.
Kind of cool to see the path it took, there was not much damage other than the fusebox, the studs did not need to be replaced, the building inspector said they were fine. Strange smell in the house though, like burnt hair almost. I was there about three hours after the incident, the building inspector came within an hour to check it out if I remember right, I suppose he was curious to see the results of the ball of lightning, usually they don't show up for a couple of days if you want an inspection. I Think he had to replace the breaker and wire going to the garage along with the panel out there so not much damage, a few hundred bucks just back then, he was doing his own electrical work, so did not have to pay an electrician. Wasn't worth doing an insurance claim either.
I knew a guy who had one enter a house he was building, it came in a window opening, traveled down to the basement, then went over to an area where the power was going to the unattached garage, it went into the garage and attacked his circuit breaker box in the garage. I went to see the damage, the owner, Darian, told me he watched it come in the window opening, travel around scortching things and followed it down to the basement and it was gone when he got down there, and heard noise outside in his garage, but after it messed things up scorching things and frying his fuse box, it seemed to have disappeared. He told me that was bright but the size of a basketball. One thing he mentioned, it seemed to stay in the center of the hallways and went through the door opening in the walls instead of going through the studs...and it went around the corner to get to the steps and went down the steps like it could see where it was going. He was kind of weirded out by the way it seemed to have consciousness. The thing still scorched the studs even though it was centered in the halls and doorways. I saw the damage, it was like someone had taken a blowtorch and browned the studs and floor joist going to the basement on the steps. no scorching on the steps themself that I noticed.
Kind of cool to see the path it took, there was not much damage other than the fusebox, the studs did not need to be replaced, the building inspector said they were fine. Strange smell in the house though, like burnt hair almost. I was there about three hours after the incident, the building inspector came within an hour to check it out if I remember right, I suppose he was curious to see the results of the ball of lightning, usually they don't show up for a couple of days if you want an inspection. I Think he had to replace the breaker and wire going to the garage along with the panel out there so not much damage, a few hundred bucks just back then, he was doing his own electrical work, so did not have to pay an electrician. Wasn't worth doing an insurance claim either.