The parents of one-year-old Jaxen Cormier are still basking in relief after their son narrowly escaped a lightning strike.
The family of three was vacationing at a summer home on a Cabot Trail campground in Cape Breton Friday night when the power went out during a storm.
“All of a sudden, there was a huge blue flash in the sky,” says Jessica Cormier, Jaxen’s mom.
The next thing they heard was a crash of thunder, which they say sounded like a gunshot.
Jessica walked into her son’s room to check on him and saw that his playpen had been struck.
“The first thing that hit me was the smell of burnt plastic and a haze of smoke was filling the room,” she says. “So I just grabbed the baby and yelled out ‘fire’ and then ran and got the kids and everyone out of the house.”
Everyone in the house, including baby Jaxen, was lucky to escape safely.
The blast did blow a phone off its hinges and also left an internet modem shattered in the cottage.
The campground’s owner says he believes lightning struck a power pole, and the current traveled underground for several hundred metres. Another cottage was also damaged by the strike but no one was injured.
An electrician was brought in to make sure the family could still stay at the cottage.
“The electrician did a little bit of work,” says Jessica. “He gave us the all-clear that it was safe to stay here for the remainder of the weekend.”
Her husband, Jeff Cormier, adds that they’re feeling pretty lucky that no one was hurt.
“Mother Nature always wins and this time she did win,” he says. “However, no injuries and we’re still having a great vacation.”
With files from CTV's Ryan MacDonald
