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Lightning strikes homes in Nuneaton and Bedworth

Wed Jul 24, 2019 4:28 pm

Lightning is thought to have struck at two Warwickshire properties within minutes of each other with some residents having to be evacuated

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A block of flats in Nuneaton, reported to have been struck during the early hours, also flooded when a pipe burst.

One resident said the ground floor was "ankle deep" in water.

A house in Bedworth caught fire after lightning hit an aerial at 01.50 BST causing the building to become smoke logged, said the fire service.

Crews were called out to the block of flats, in Trent Road, at 01.57 BST.

Kelvin Tedds, who lives on the second floor of the flats on Etone Court, said he had to wait outside for almost an hour after fire alarms went off.

Other residents in the 12-flat block told him that the lightning had "struck the roof."

"Downstairs water was coming in... it was ankle deep," he added.

Stacey Hutt, who also lives in the block, said she heard a "loud bang," which sounded like a car being struck.

"I knew it (lightning) had hit something. Just didn't know what until the smoke alarm was going off," she said

Residents are still without water, she added.

Crews from Warwickshire Fire and Rescue isolated the water and electrics to the building before residents were allowed to return home.

Two appliances were called to the fire at a home in Pine Tree Road, Bedworth.

Crews from Bedworth and Nuneaton arrived to find the house filled with smoke, and cleared it using pressure ventilation equipment.

:bbc_news:
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