LAKE CHARLES, La. (KLFY) –  When our station was hit by lightning last night it was a reminder to us about how dangerous lightning can be, especially during the summer months.

July is one of the deadliest months for lightning strikes in the United States.

Donald Jones, a Meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Lake Charles, says that preventive measures can be taken to keep your family safe.

“You don’t want to be in an open area,” says Jones.

“Lightning is attracted to whatever the tallest object may be, so if you’re in an open area, a lot of the time the tallest object is you,” added Jones.

This means that you should never stand under a tall object, such as a tree, for shelter during a lightning storm.

The best thing to do is to take shelter in your home, but even in your home, there are risks.

“You don’t want to use anything that is necessarily connected to electricity because lightning can travel through the electric wires into your home,” says Jones.

Chief Robert Benoit, of the Lafayette Fire Department, says that these lightning strikes can sometimes cause structure fires.

“Wires will get hot and start burning, along with the walls, receptacles, and circuits,” says Chief Benoit.

“This can eventually result in a structure fire,” added Chief Benoit.

There are preventive measures you can take to keep your home safe.

“Ideally, what you would want to do is to put a form of a lightning rod on top of your home,” says Jones.

When outdoors, there is one rule that you always need to remember.

“If you’re close enough to hear thunder, you’re close enough to get struck by lightning,” says Jones.