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Lightning strikes cause fires and power outages

December 14, 2023 11:00 am in by
Lightning by Mathias Krumbholz /Wikimedia, supplied

A vacant house at Claude Road, near Sheffield, has been destroyed as a result of a lightning strike last night.

Fire Service crews from Claude Road, Sheffield, Railton and Melrose responded to a triple zero call just before 11 pm on Thursday night , finding the house fully involved in fire.

Despite their best efforts, they were unable to save the house.

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A subsequent fire investigation revealed the house had caught alight from a tree close to the building which was struck by lightning.

Hundreds of lightning strikes were recorded on the North-West Coast during storms on Thursday afternoon and evening, with a house at Natone also being struck by lightning just before midday.

The occupants of the house were evacuated safely and a subsequent inspection by the Tasmania Fire Service finding no damage or fire risk.

Meanwhile, a minor mudslide on Castra Road at Abbotsham was cleared up by Central Coast Council with around 100mm of mud covering the road near the crest of a hill.

Emergency services and council workers also cleared a number of fallen trees along Bellamy’s Road between Melrose and Forthside.

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