Lightning strike on Bexhill house was like a 'bomb going off', says witness
A witness said a lightning striking on a house in Bexhill was like a 'bomb going off'.
The home in Long Avenue suffered devastating damage in the blaze at around midnight on Saturday (June 27).
The witness said neighbours in the street 'showed a lot of bravery' in trying to tackle the blaze using a hosepipe before firefighters arrived.
She said: “When the house was first struck at around midnight, it looked and sounded like a bomb going off. There was a sound of glass shattering and the whole area rumbled, it was terrifying.
“The first thing I saw was a blinding orange-red blast, causing parts of the roof tiles to fly outward.
“Initially, it started off with a relatively small flame on the south corner of the house which rapidly spread across the apex of the roof. Within 10 minutes the fire had engulfed the interior of the roof and quadrupled in size.
“The nearby neighbours showed a lot of bravery, grabbing a hose pipe from the garden of the burning address, as well as the neighbouring hose pipe to try and put out the flame before the fire brigade arrived.
"Unfortunately, the fire had already fully taken hold of the roof so the small amount of water did little to inhibit the flames.”
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters were called just before 12.20am. A spokesperson said it received 16 calls and four fire engines were sent to the blaze.
Ongoing lightning strikes and overhead power cables made operations more challenging for firefighters, they added.
An aerial ladder platform was used as a water tower once the lightning eased.
Crews continued damping down hot spots and carried out a further inspection later in the day.
The eyewitness said: “I have never seen lightning so devastating. My heart goes out to the owners of the house who were on holiday at the time, it’s such an awful thing to have to come back to. I’m just thankful no one was hurt.
“It’s important that we as a community show them support, whether it’s through donations to help them get started or by other means, as this could’ve been any one of us.”