Breaking News: Tennis player Chanda Rubin’s house catches fire due to lightning
Tennis player Chanda Rubin had a close call, when her house in Louisiana caught fire during a thunderstorm. Rubin, who was a significant influence in the 1990s, stayed unharmed during the incident. Fire officials from Lafayette have confirmed natural lightning
to be cause of fire.
Chanda Rubin was the only person in the house when the incident took place. She managed to get out safely when fire alarms warned her of the threat at around 9 pm, Wednesday night.
According to the spokesman of the fire department Alton Trahan, “The whole roof and the attic and portions of the second story are completely gone,” Trahan said. “The first story is OK. There’s a lot of water damage on the first floor, obviously.”
The spokesman said that the lightning was particularly bad in Rubin’s area, and the plausible cause of fire in the attic. He added, about the state of the house, “It’s pretty much totalled. The first floor is probably the only portion of the home she’ll
be able to salvage some of the contents.”
Assistant chief of the fire department, Jerry Delhomme added that phone calls from Rubin, her neighbours and her alarm system came almost immediately. The first call was made by Rubin, who walked out of her house after hearing sounds to see smoke on her
roof.
“There was heavy rain and lightning and thunder,” says fire Chief Robert Benoit, “When we got there, fire was through the roof. It took about four and a half hours to get the fire completely out.”
34-year-old Rubin won seven titles on the WTA singles tour, and was World Number 6 in 1996. Her greatest performance was the semi final of the Australian Open. Her last singles wins were in Madrid and Eastborne, in year 2003.
This year, Rubin withdrew from six tournaments due to injuries. Out of the seven events she competed in, Chanda was only able to win one match.
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