A FAMILY had a shock awakening when lighting struck their home in the early hours.

Angela and Neil Rhodes were at home in Bowling Bank, Wrexham, when lightning struck directly above daughter, Megan’s, bedroom whilst she was sleeping inside with the family dog.

Mrs Rhodes said: “Me and my husband had been woken up during the night to the sound of the storm because it was so loud, we could tell it was directly overhead because of the cracking and banging sounds that were going on anyway.

“All of a sudden there was this almighty boom, like a bomb going off, and my husband Neil instantly said it must have hit something very nearby, we thought maybe the overhead electrics.

The Leader:

Roof damage caused by lightning bolt. Picture: Liam Gotting

“Neil came outside to check the horses were okay and he came rushing back inside telling me to call 999 because the roof of our daughters’ bedroom was on fire.

“We ran over and got Megan and the dog out and made sure they were okay, and thankfully the fire brigade came very quickly afterwards.

“It was just such a shock; you never think something like that could ever happen to you.

“The bolt was so powerful that it completely destroyed one of the supporting beams in the roof, and this morning we’ve realised that the boiler no longer works and the electricity in one of the rooms isn’t working either.

The Leader:

Debris from the damaged roof caused by lightning bolt. Picture: Liam Gotting

“The fire brigade were brilliant. Two engines turned up with about 10 or more firemen and they immediately took control of the situation, making sure we were all okay and the horses were okay as well.”

North Wales was the wettest area in the UK overnight, getting 15mm of rain in one hour with thunderstorms and lightning throughout the night.

Firefighters attended the scene yesterday using two breathing apparatus and two hose reel jets to tackle the fire.

The incident was brought under control by 2.17am and nobody was injured.

The Leader:

A spokesman for North Wales Fire and Rescue said: “We received a call at around 1.25am to reports of a roof fire at a property near St Paul’s Church in Bowling Bank.

“The fire was caused by the property being struck by lightning.

“Two crews attended the scene and dealt with the issue swiftly.

“Fortunately, the fire was contained to the roof and did not spread throughout the house and nobody was injured as a result.”