Susan Hostetler, a 71-year-old art consultant and gallery owner in Nantucket, narrowly escaped a potentially deadly house fire after lightning struck the roof of her multimillion-dollar home during a powerful thunderstorm.
Hostetler had been preparing strawberry ice cream for an evening at home with her cats on July 18 when a lightning bolt hit the property, triggering a fire that quickly spread across the roof.
At first, she did not realize the seriousness of what had happened.
Hostetler mistook the warning signs for a power surge
The sudden thunderous crash and an alarm sounding inside the house failed to immediately alert Hostetler to the danger.
She believed the disturbance may have been caused by a power surge.
That changed when a group of strangers began pounding on her door and shouting that her roof was burning.
“Get out of your house! Your roof is on fire!” the rescuers yelled, according to Hostetler’s account to the Nantucket Current.
She said she began crying as the reality of the situation sank in, but the four people outside quickly entered the home and took charge of the evacuation.
Four camp counselors rushed toward the burning house
The people who came to Hostetler’s aid were Libby Stockton, Lilla Sharman, Jakobe Stevens and Tabitha Myers, counselors working at the Strong Wings summer camp.
The group had been leaving a nearby property when they noticed the fire in the distance.
Rather than continuing on their way, they decided to check whether anyone was trapped inside.
“We saw the fire from a distance and we all kind of just collectively looked at each other and said, ‘We gotta make sure she’s okay,’” Stockton told the Nantucket Current.
Stockton said she jumped from the vehicle and ran toward the property, where she began banging on a window and shouting to alert Hostetler.
The rescuers made sure the cats escaped too
Once Hostetler opened the door, the counselors immediately explained that the roof was on fire and contacted emergency services.
They also searched the home for Hostetler’s cats, placing them into carriers so they could be safely taken outside.
The quick response gave firefighters valuable time to reach the property before the blaze could completely destroy the house.
Firefighters prevented the home from being destroyed
Although the house suffered extensive damage, including water damage throughout all three floors, Hostetler said firefighters arrived quickly enough to prevent the structure from being completely consumed by flames.
Much of the property was also filled with artwork created by her late husband, David, who died in 2015 at the age of 88.
Hostetler was able to save a significant amount of his work, despite the destruction caused by the fire and firefighting efforts.
“The fire department got there so fast, so my house didn’t burn down,” she said.
Hostetler calls the rescuers her “golden angels”
The frightening experience has left Hostetler deeply grateful to the four young counselors who intervened.
She described them as her “golden angels” and called her survival a “big miracle.”
The counselors, meanwhile, said they felt fortunate to have been nearby when the lightning strike sparked the blaze.
Stockton said she and the others would have acted in the same way again, adding that what mattered most was knowing Hostetler and her cats were safe.
A home filled with artistic history
Hostetler now owns and runs the Hostetler Gallery in downtown Nantucket, and her home also held a collection of work connected to her late husband.
Despite the severe damage, the rescue ensured that both Hostetler and her animals escaped without being trapped by the rapidly developing fire.
The incident serves as a dramatic reminder of how quickly a seemingly ordinary thunderstorm can turn into an emergency — and how a chance group of bystanders can make a life-saving difference.
