Cheshire: Fire crews attend as lightning hits house

Two fire engines from Birchwood and Warrington fire stations were sent to the scene on Kestrel Lane, Birchwood, shortly after 12.30pm.

It followed an intense thunderstorm across the town with flashes of lightning and loud rumbles of thunder.

A spokesman for Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed firefighters were in attendance as a result of the lightning strike.

They said: “At around 12.40pm, firefighters were called to reports that a house had been struck by lightning on Kestrel Lane.

“Firefighters attended the scene and found that there were no signs of any fire, but the building had been badly damaged by the lightning.

“A building inspector has been called to the scene to check the safety of the address and firefighters have checked a number of neighbouring properties.

“The crews have also isolated the electricity at the address”

One nearby resident told the Warrington Guardian: “I was in my house with my family when we heard the thunder.

“Initially we thought our house had been hit, but it was another down the road.

“We were pretty lucky, but the lightning has damaged the roof of the other house.”

Another added: “The whole room lit up. I’ve never heard anything like it.”

The Met Office earlier issued a yellow weather warning, which will be in place through to 6am tomorrow morning.

A spokesman for the service said: “Showers, often heavy with isolated thunderstorms, may become more frequent across north west England during Wednesday evening and overnight.

“Some places could see 15-20mm of rain within an hour, and as much as 40-60mm over a six-hour period.”

A second house in Appleton was also struck by lightning shortly before 1.30pm.

Two fire engines from Stockton Heath and Warrington fire stations were sent to Firs Lane following reports that a house had been hit.

According to Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service, there were no signs of fire on the arrival of firefighters.

Crews used a thermal imaging camera to check for any hotspots and also checked the loft area for any damage.

They isolated the electricity at the property and were detained at the scene for around 40 minutes.

Firefighters were then called back to the address at around 2.30pm after the owner noticed smoke coming from a small section of charred wood at the apex of the roof.

They removed the material and used water to dampen down the roof, having been detained at the address for around 30 minutes.