I experienced this with a client of mine a few years ago, the neighbors home was struck by lightning and the charge traveled to my clients home next door. Luckily their home did not catch on fire but it did do electrical damage and damage to the mechanicals. This article is worth reading:
Fire threat lurks in thousands of Indiana homes
Thinner gas lines linked to lightning fires
By Robert Annis Indy Star
Thousands of Central Indiana homes may be in danger of catastrophic fire if hit by lightning, yet the state has made no concerted effort to warn homeowners.
State officials have known for at least three years that cheaper, ultra-thin gas lines, which have become the preferred choice for contractors over the past dozen or so years, are more likely to be breached by lightning than the traditional thicker, black iron pipe.
The state has twice revised its building codes since 2005 to try to make new homes safer, but there is a debate over how effective those changes are in preventing the lightning fires. And, perhaps of more concern, those changes apply only to homes being constructed. There has been no attempt to deal with the thousands of homes most at risk: those built before the code changes.