In this task, you're given the title of a five-sentence story, the first four sentences, and two options for the fifth sentence as a and b. Your job is to pick the sentence option that seamlessly connects with the rest of the story, indicating your choice as 'a' or 'b'. If both sentences are plausible, pick the one that makes more sense.

Title: Forest Cleared Within Minutes. Sentence 1: A large thunderstorm occurred in the town. Sentence 2: Lightning bolts struck everywhere. Sentence 3: A nearby forest caught on fire and all of the trees were burned. Sentence 4: After the storm faded, the fire forest was burned to ashes. Choices: a. I have not lost the checkbook since. b. Several animals were killed and many were injured.
b