Baby monitor alerts Florida couple to lightning-sparked house fire that killed dog

TAMPA, Fla. – Baby monitors usually tell you when a baby needs help, but Tim and Macy Osman, were out with their 7-month-old son at a friend’s house earlier this month when they got a baby monitor alert that would change their lives. They rushed home to find smoke, flames and a devastating loss.

The backstory:

Two weeks ago, storms rolled through the night of June 13, passing over the Osman family’s home on Crying Wind Drive in the Northdale community of Hillsborough County.

“We were about five minutes down the road at a friend’s house. We got a notification on our baby monitor app saying the nursery was like 86 degrees,” said Tim Osman.

They had their 7-month-old son, Griffin with them, but that temperature was a red flag.

READ: Man hospitalized after lightning strike on Holmes Beach

“We pulled up the camera, and we just saw smoke,” he said.

They rushed home as Macy called 911. Their two dogs, Gus and Gwen, were still inside the house, so Tim Osman went inside and brought them outside to safety.

“We were blowing on their noses and pushing on their chests. They weren’t breathing when I found them, and eventually one of our pups just did pop his head back up,” said Osman.

READ: Neighbor describes tornado lifting mobile home off the ground: ‘The Lord really took care of this woman’

Gus, their 7-year-old mastiff boxer, survived and is recovering. But their dog Gwen didn’t make it.

“She was only a year and a half old. She’s a Cane Corso. And she was just coming into her stride,” said Osman. “You think about all the different scenarios, what could we have done differently, this, that, and the other, but all we really want is Gwen.”

Dig deeper:

Osman said a fire inspector came out and established a power surge occurred that night.

“He established that it was the fan above our couch that sparked, fell down onto the couch and lit the couch on fire,” said Tim Osman. “He thinks he’s pretty positive that it was a lightning strike that caused the surge.”

They credit their baby monitor for helping them act quickly.

“That’s the only reason we were able to show up to the house in time to get the dogs out and obviously get Gussie back up and running,” said Osman.

On Thursday, Macy Osman laid flowers at a makeshift memorial in Gwen’s honor outside their front door.

READ: NWS confirms EF-1 tornado touched down in Largo

“It detected heat. It detected humidity. It was a way higher number than our house is usually set at,” said Macy Osman.

They urge everyone to check smoke detectors and pay attention to any app alerts for cameras you have.

What’s next:

As they work to rebuild their house, the Omans aren’t sure the space will make sense for them forever.

“You know it’s hard to walk. There’s one turn I don’t want to take in this house, and that’s where I found the dogs. And that’s going to be something that probably haunts me for a little bit,” Tim Osman explained.

The Osman family is staying at a friend’s house at this time, and they are raising money to help with home rebuilding and pet care expenses for Gus’ recovery. They are planning a fundraiser at the Carrollwood Golf Course on August 18.

Florida is known as the lightning capital of the country. 

By the numbers:

According to an analysis by the Insurance Information Institute, there were nearly 4,800 claims in Florida related to homes damaged by lightning strikes. 

That equaled about $113 million in damage. 

What you can do:

To protect yourself, experts recommend whole-home surge protection or a certified lightning protection system.

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