SACO — Fire officials suspect a lightning strike during a severe storm Wednesday ignited a barn fire that destroyed the structure and the attached house.

One person was home at 71 Rocky Hill Road when they reported that lightning had struck the barn at 10:30 p.m. and set it on fire, said Capt. Bill Madore of the Saco Fire Department.

The barn was attached to the house by an ell and the fast moving fire badly damaged the house, he said. Although the house is still standing, there is extensive fire, smoke and water damage, he said.

The resident got out safely and nobody was injured.

The resident kept cows but it is unclear if any perished in the fire, Madore said. The barn doors were left open so the livestock could get out, he said.

An excavator was to be used to pick through the rubble Thursday morning to help firefighters extinguish what remains of the fire.

“With a barn fire, when they collapse it’s just a big pile of rubble,” he said. “You have to move the stuff around to get at the fire it’s so deep-seated in the rubble.”