'It was like a bomb going off, it's left me shaken'. Lighning strike on Burntwood home in the night.
Lightning struck an old chimney in the middle of two homes in Burntwood, Springhill Road. We chat two one of the residents effected who was in the garden as the lightning bolt hit the roof of his house sending a blast down through the walls which effected electrics and blew plaster off the wall.
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00:00So Andy, there's a few dinks and dents in your car, it happens to all of us, but you've
00:08got yours in a slightly unorthodox way, I'd like to see the insurance claim, from lightning
00:12strike, debris, crazy, what's going on chaps?
00:16The chimney's literally exploded, and gone up in the air, and then just landed straight
00:24down onto the car.
00:25You've got all kinds of little dinks and dents haven't you that's come off the back of it?
00:29Nobody's been killed or injured, which is in my opinion.
00:32In times like this, that's all you can think in it really.
00:36So Andy, we can see at the back there where it's hit, we're just in your garden, and that's
00:40your neighbours Darren's there, and he's had a lucky miss hasn't he really, because it
00:44was three foot from his daughter's head.
00:48Just fill us in, you were actually out in the garden weren't you when it struck?
00:53I was in bed, and I heard the roaring, and I thought to myself, that's heavy, so I run
01:00downstairs, run out, and I thought I'd better shut the door on my...
01:05Yeah you've got your summer house door flapping open.
01:08So I've got to about here, and all of a sudden it's just gone like...
01:15So what did you, was it a flash you saw first, was it the noise, what can you remember?
01:20I saw the flash, and like a millisecond later, I just looked round to see what was happening,
01:26and it just exploded, the noise was unbelievable.
01:33You ever had anything, seen anything like that in your life before, kind of a storm
01:37like that?
01:38You could almost feel, you could almost feel the blast of it, and it was that loud, it
01:45was unbelievable.
01:46Well I mean really, we've seen the bits of debris and the damage it's done to the car,
01:49I guess you have to think, well that could have been my head, you know what I mean?
01:53Well at the end of the day, the car, the car you can, you know.
01:59Yeah, no one's been hurt, that's the main thing.
02:02But it has, it's played havoc with, it has affected your house hasn't it, like the electrics
02:07and stuff yeah?
02:08Yes, yes.
02:09So you reckon your telly's probably a goner?
02:11The telly's, the telly's dead, all the electrics went out, the boiler's not working properly.
02:18Yeah.
02:19Um, these things can be picked up, you know.
02:24So I'm presuming you didn't just curl back up in bed and have sweet dreams after that?
02:29Just talking about it now, makes me feel a bit, bit shaky, a bit anxious like.
02:34Yeah, yeah, yeah.
02:35Well I bet you haven't been to sleep have you since that?
02:38Well, that's not, I didn't sleep very well.
02:42Yeah, yeah.
02:43It's just, you know, is it going to happen again?
02:46I've been looking at the weather this morning.
02:48Yeah, yeah.
02:49Is it going to happen again?
02:50I guess, yeah, I guess after an experience like that, like if our era of thunderstorms
02:55come in, you don't think too much of it, but I guess you'll think a bit differently in
02:59future won't you?
03:00Well, you know, I always look at the weather forecast, but that's unexpected that was.
03:08It was down for like 20 minutes or so, then it just stopped.
03:13The day was nice.
03:14Yeah, yeah, it's crazy, you didn't really expect it, certainly, you know, in this week
03:19we've had a weather for us to be coming out to a lightning strike on a house here in Birkwood.
03:24How long have you lived here chap?
03:2516 years.
03:26Oh yeah, a few years, yeah, yeah.
03:29Well Darren's had a great response from the community in his GoFundMe and pulling together
03:34it.
03:35It warms your heart, doesn't it, when you see the community kind of pulling together.
03:38Yeah, yeah, that's what you need, that's what you need.
03:41So I guess next stage for you is sort out your lekkies, yeah?
03:45The electric's has been sorted, the boiler's been looked at, but there's still a problem
03:49with it, there's no hot water.
03:51Yeah, so that's still something you've got to sort.
03:53What if it's sorted again?
03:54Yeah, yeah.
03:55So do you think you'll sleep easy tonight, or do you think you'll have a few bizarre
04:00dreams?
04:01I don't sleep too well anyway, I'm always hungry.
04:04Yeah.
04:05First thing in the morning.
04:06Yeah.
04:07Don't need an alarm clock.
04:08Oh wow, yeah, yeah.
04:10In a bizarre twist, it's come down there, there's a bit of metal in there, so it's earthed
04:15itself on the bit of metal, that's what we think's happened, and that bit of plaster
04:20has shot right across to show us where it's ended up, kiddo.
04:27It's took a chunk out of you, hasn't it?
04:29Yeah, it's like a little shot with a pellet rifle.
04:32Look at that, that's mad, and all the debris there in the windowsill.
04:36And the thing is, I mean, you said you're almost lucky you're outside, because if you'd
04:39have been sitting on the seat there, that trajectory from the window to the wall, that
04:44would have come close enough to your head, wouldn't it?
04:46Yeah.
04:47Closer than you'd have liked.
04:48Yeah.
04:49Crazy.
04:50Andy, as we can see here, this is off your TV, isn't it?
04:54And it's popped that open and burnt out the middle of it.
04:58Yeah.
04:59Might have just saved your TV, we hope, once you've replaced that, but obviously that could
05:03have been another fire hazard there.
05:05Yes, it could have been.
05:06Scary, eh?
05:07Yeah, yeah.
05:08Luckily, though, you know, my TV should be okay.
05:12Fingers crossed, fingers crossed.
05:13Fingers crossed, yeah.