CAÑON CITY, Colo. (KRDO) — A woman and her neighbor were forced to evacuate their home after lightning struck a tree 10 feet away from a small duplex in downtown Cañon City.

Firefighters told the resident that the lightning probably then traveled underground, destroyed a furnace and eventually started a fire in the attic.

The emergency services had to cut open the walls to get to the flames and extinguish them.

Neither resident can enter the home and both have lost hundreds of dollars worth of property due to fire or smoke damage.

“We don’t have time to get anything,” said Cyndi Romero.

Cyndi says she heard lightning strike the tree next to her house and branches falling into her yard. Had it not been for a passerby walking by her house who smelled smoke, she would not have known her house was on fire.

Romero, 70, is retired and works part-time as a transcriptionist. His income is fixed.

She says it will be difficult to find another place to live, but her community is starting to support her as her family helps her find affordable housing.

The rental management company that managed her previous home has offered her a small living space, but she is unsure what to do next.

“Maybe I’ll just go out and look at the offers, see what I can find and just start a new adventure again,” Romero said.

“I know I’m not alone,” she adds. “Nobody is alone.”

If you would like to help Romero and her neighbor with moving costs and replacing lost items, click here for the GoFundMe campaign.