'Bolt from hell' blasts roof open
2013-02-07 12:30
Lunga Biyela, The Witness
Pietermaritzburg - “A bolt from hell” was how a neighbour
described the lightning bolt that struck a hole in the ceiling and damaged a
house while the owner was at work on Wednesday.
The woman, who works in the office of the premier, got the
shock of her life when she got a phone call while at work telling her that her
house had been hit by lightning and was on fire.
Arriving at her home at Chase Valley Gardens within 15
minutes, the woman found fire department officials and neighbours putting out
the fire.
Fire in ceiling
It was not clear how much damage the fire, which was
confined to the ceiling, had caused.
“I’ll have to call insurance and they will assess the
damage,” said the woman, who simply called herself Ms Pillay.
The fire had burnt two holes in her bedroom ceiling and
water was leaking on to her bed, she said.
“The electricity’s tripped, and the geyser’s burst. You can
see water running out of the pipes,” she told The Witness.
Pillay said a neighbour told her he thought the lightning
had struck a cellphone tower in the complex and ricocheted on to her roof.
Merle Murchie, a neighbour whose house was also hit but not
damaged, described the lightning as “a bolt from hell”.
“It was just really
loud. We’re all out of lights. My husband went outside and saw that the
neighbour’s house was on fire,” said Murchie.
Thinking quickly, her husband, Colin, grabbed a hosepipe and
tried to douse the fire while instructing his wife to call the fire department.
He said he saw flames coming out of the top of the roof.
Quick action
Pillay said it was her neighbours’ quick action that
prevented more damage.
The stench of smoke was in the air when The Witness was at
the scene, while fire-fighters were in the roof to assess the damage.
Concerned neighbours who heard the lightning strike gathered
in the complex’s driveway. Phelelani Ngcobo, who was cutting grass opposite
Pillay’s house, saw the lightning strike.
“I was outside cutting the grass. I was looking down pushing
the lawnmower when I saw this lightning accompanied by fire flash across and
hit the house,” said Ngcobo.
Police spokesperson Joey Jeevan said police were aware of
the incident and had attended the scene. There were no injuries.
