A lightning strike caused the roof of a house to ‘blow off’ as well as destroying the internal wiring.
The property in Halton Crescent, Ellesmere Port, was hit around teatime on Tuesday, June 10, making it uninhabitable, although fortunately nobody was injured.
Fire crews, who were called at 6.30pm, used a thermal imaging camera to check for hotspots due to smoke coming from the property because of the burnt out wiring and isolated the gas and electricity supplies.
Watch manager Paul Janion said: “It was struck by lightning which blew the roof off, pushed the gable end out and fried the electrics. Next door’s electrics were also damaged.”
He said Broadband was also affected in the whole of the street. Neighbours were advised to call Scottish Power if they experienced any issues with their electrical supply.
This is the second lightning strike to damage property in the town within a matter of weeks. On May 19, a bungalow fire in Belgrave Drive, Ellesmere Port, is believed to have been caused by a fierce thunderstorm. Three fire engines were called to the property shortly after 9pm. Nobody was in the house at the time of the incident.
Firefighters removed roof tiles and used a large fan to clear smoke from the property.
