Lightning strike sets house on fire as thunderstorms sweep heatwave Britain
A house was set alight after being struck by lightning as thunderstorms swept across southern parts of England.
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The detached property in Emersons Green, Bristol was engulfed in flames just before 6pm yesterday.
Everyone inside the house escaped unscathed. Dramatic video from the scene shows firefighters aiming jets of water inside windows while distressed onlookers stand in the street.
A spokesman for Avon Fire and Rescue Service said it was called to the scene at 5.55pm and the fire was under control by 10pm.
“Upon arrival, crews found the house well alight with significant damage,” the spokesman said. “Firefighters were able to get the fire under control and extinguish the majority of it using high-pressure hose reels and water jets.”
'We are all at risk': Dire warning from ambulance chief as Britain faces 40C heatwave
“One person was injured near the scene, unrelated to the incident, and has been passed to the ambulance service. The cause of the fire is thought to be from a lightning strike.”
Schools across the country have closed and transport bosses have warned people against all but essential travel amid rare red warnings over extreme temperatures that are expected to hit record highs for June.
A “heat-dome” settling over western Europe could bring temperatures of up to 40C in some parts of England and Wales in the middle part of the week, the Met Office has said.
Temperatures for the latest heatwave are likely to overtake the June record set in Hampshire in 1976 by several degrees and could come close to the UK’s all-time high of 40.3C which was measured in July 2022.
The hot conditions, which have been very rare in the UK until now, will be accompanied by high humidity and very warm nights, which will make it hard for people to recover overnight, the forecaster warned.
A red weather warning for extreme heat covering an area stretching from London to Swansea and Somerset to Birmingham was issued by the Met Office from 9am on Wednesday to 9pm on Thursday.