TAMPA — A lightning strike is being blamed for sparking an intense house fire in South Tampa on Friday night, according to Tampa Fire Rescue.

No one was injured in the blaze, but a dog inside the home perished.

Neighbors and an electric worker nearby told firefighters that at about 7:30 p.m. they saw the lightning strike that may have started the fire at 5117 W San Jose St.

Another clue that lightning was to blame: the fire burned from top to bottom. Tampa Fire Rescue spokesman Jason Penny said it was the third fire blamed on lightning in as many weeks.

When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames shooting through the roof of the single-story home. The fire grew so intense that crews couldn't enter the structure, the agency said.

Instead, firefighters attacked the blaze from above using a ladder truck.

A large dog was inside the home at the time and died in the fire, the agency said. No one else was inside the home at the time of the fire. Investigators are now looking to confirm the cause of the fire.