House blaze after Birchington lightning strikes
by Martin Jefferies
Severe thunderstorms in Thanet kept firefighters busy last
night.
Crews from across the Isle were called out at least a dozen
times as lightning struck several properties.
Their most serious call came from a home in Park Avenue,
Birchington, where a bolt struck at around 10pm, setting fire to
the loft.
Around 12 firefighters from Thanet (Westwood)
and Herne Bay spent around three hours tackling
the blaze, which also spread to a neighbouring property. No-one was
injured.
Margate fire station responded to eight
emergency calls in just an hour and a half, including a block of
flats in Sea Road, Westgate-on-Sea, which was struck by lightning
at around 12.30am.
The building was not set alight, although its fire alarm system
was damaged. No residents were hurt.
Kent Fire and Rescue Service said the majority of its other
calls were from automatic fire alarm systems that were affected by
the storm.
Some parts of Thanet suffered minor localised flooding and the
power supply was momentarily affected, causing street lights on the
Haine Road and Manston Road to fail.
Friday, July 03 2009