The Transylvania Times -

Two firefighters were transported Wednesday night to Transylvania Regional Hospital for overexertion and dehydration after responding to a fire at a home on Steel Creek Road, which sits on U.S. 276 behind Cedar Mountain Baptist Church.

The firefighters were treated and released, and no one else was injured, according to a press release from Connestee Fire Rescue.

Earlier, at 7:39 p.m., Connestee Fire Rescue was dispatched to a structure fire, arriving on scene at 7:46 p.m. According to the release, initially there was no sign of a fire, but it was upgraded to a "working fire," when fire was detected in the ceiling and walls between the basement and the first floor. The fire caused extensive damage to the 5,000-square-foot residence, particularly in the area between the basement and the first floor, including several rooms. The responders also had to deal with a severe thunderstorm throughout the first 30 to 40 minutes of the incident.

The fire was "under control" in an hour and a half, with the responders on the scene for five hours.

A lightning strike to the home is believed to have started the fire, the release said. The lightning likely ran in the electrical and propane gas lines, the release said.

Those who responded to the fire included Brevard Fire Department, Cedar Mountain Fire Rescue, Rosman Fire Rescue, Little River Fire Department, North Transylvania Fire Department, Lake Toxaway Fire Rescue, Valley Hill Fire Department, Etowah Horseshoe Fire Rescue, Mills River Fire Department, Transylvania County Emergency Management, county EMS, county Fire Marshal’s Office and Transylvania County Rescue Squad.

At the time of the incident, Connestee Fire Rescue, along with several other county agencies and the N.C. Forest Service, were conducting a search and rescue operation in Headwaters State Forest. The person was found and transported out of the woods.