Chattooga County Commissioner Andy Allen said Tuesday that a barn on his farm was destroyed after being struck by lightning during storms overnight.

Allen and his wife, Whitney, said the lightning strike hit a fence charger, which sparked the fire that resulted in the barn being a total loss.

In a statement, the Allens thanked the Gore Fire Department and Hays State Prison firefighters for their quick response.

“We want to take this opportunity to thank Gore Fire Department and Hays Prison on their quick response and professionalism that they showed early this morning,” the statement said. “During the storms last night lightning hit our fence charger which sparked a fire and our barn was a total loss.”

The Allens said firefighters worked quickly to ensure the fire was fully contained and did not spread to their nearby horse barn.

“We appreciate their efforts and kindness,” the statement concluded.