Yahoo News Lightning strike leaves Staffordshire family homeless as fire rips through houses
A family have been rendered homeless after storms led to their Staffordshire house being hit by lightning. The terrace home caught fire after the strike with the flames rapidly spread to surrounding properties.
Neighbours were forced to evacuate as the terrifying blaze took hold at just past 9pm on Saturday - but miraculously no one was injured.
However, the incident resulted in the loss of irreplaceable personal items for the family who live in Essington in the south of the county. The strike came just a few hours after a home in Longton's Bambury Street was hit by lighning.
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In an urgent response to help the affected family, locals and friends have started a fundraising effort. A GoFundMe campaign is underway with a goal of £5,000 to aid the 'caring' family in their time of need, BlackCountryLive reports.
Family friend Rachel Anne Lee is spearheading the fundraiser for what she terms a "wonderful, kind, caring family" and their "beautiful" dog, Sky. Appealing to the public, she said: "Their family home was hit by lighting and they lost not only their home, but all their personal and essential belongings. Even if £1 is all you have spare, the pennies make the pounds and it all adds up. Every little helps."
Incredibly, donations are pouring in swiftly, with less than £50 left to reach the coveted target.
Commenting on the incident, a spokesperson from the Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service mentioned: "A lightning strike that caused a fire in four terraced homes in Essington has been extinguished by firefighters. We got a call at about 9.10pm on Saturday (September 21) and sent a number of crews to Kitchen Lane.
"Our colleagues from West Midlands Fire Service also attended the scene alongside officers from Staffordshire Police. The lightning strike caused fires in four separate properties in the area. Three of them were evacuated and the fourth was empty.
"We worked to contain the fire at the scene and make sure everyone was safe. The gas and electric supply to the area was isolated while the fires were extinguished. Thankfully, no one was injured. A thermal scan of the area was carried out in the early hours of the following morning (Sunday, September 22) to make sure no hotspots were left over."
The fire service advised that in the "unlikely" event a home is struck by lightning, individuals should "call 999 as soon as possible". They added: "The quicker we know about these types of incidents, the quicker we can make the area safe and protect people from harm."
