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Lightning hits homes as storm strikes Isle of Man
LIGHTNING struck more than one home as an electrical storm shook the Isle of Man on Saturday morning.
The strikes blew tiles off the roof of house in Berrywoods Grove, Governor's Hill, Douglas, scattering them across the lawn in front of the house, and blew sockets off the walls in other homes as the storm hit in the early hours of Saturday.
The force of the blast left dozens of roof tiles embedded edge first in the grass.
Barri Kirkham, 33, who lives next door to the house which took the direct hit, was fast asleep in the house with his wife Ayesha and 12-week-old daughter Ameiko when the lightning struck.
'I was just woken up at about 5.30am by a massive bang, the loudest thing I've ever heard, and saw a bright light,' he said.
'I went downstairs and noticed that the electricity was off and my wife said she could smell burning.
'I said something like: "don't be so dramatic".
'But then we found the electrical sockets in the living room had been blown off the wall and the phone had been damaged.
'I was surprised it did so much damage considering it was next door that took the direct hit.
Mr Kirkham, a self-employed painter and decorator, spent most of Saturday getting electrical sockets fixed and making sure his Sky TV box was up and working again.
He said it was lucky that no one had been injured in the incident.
He added his baby daughter Ameiko had slept soundly through the whole drama and had not even been woken by the loud bang when the lightning struck.
Fire crews attended the Berrywoods Grove property which suffered roof damage.
Station officer Willie Cowley confirmed a one metre by two metres section of roof had been affected but stressed that no one was hurt.
Fire crews helped to salvage property and prevent water getting into the house.
The Governor's Hill incident was one of several caused by lightning early on Saturday morning during a night of heavy storms.
Fire crews from Douglas and Laxey were called out at around 5.30am to properties in Douglas and Onchan.
These were at two nursing homes, Saddle Mews on the New Castletown Road and Elder Grange in Governor's Hill.
Lightning caused automatic fire alarms to activate at both nursing homes but there was no fire and no damage caused.
Fire crews also attended the old Noble's Hospital site where fire alarms were also set off by the storm.
A lightning strike caused a power surge at a family home in School Road, Willaston, and several electrical sockets blew out.
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Weather for Isle of Man
Saturday 04 February 2012
Today
Heavy showers
Temperature: 5 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 30 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Light rain
Temperature: 6 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: West
