Lightning is believed to have started a fire at a house in Blagreaves Lane, Littleover, Derby. Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service received the call just before 9 pm on Saturday. Six fire crews were dispatched to the scene to put out the roof fire. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the house was damaged by the fire. Firefighters could not use the aerial ladder to put out the fire due to severe weather conditions. They managed to bring the flames under control before they left on Sunday morning.
Parmjit Singh Bilan, the homeowner, said he was shocked by the incident. “You just don’t expect it to be you,” he said. Neighbour Dave Marubbi also called 999, saying the lightning strike was very close. The fire service also attended a house struck by lightning on Dannah Street, Ripley, and cabling on flats on Jubilee Close in Melbourne.
The storm affected other areas of the East Midlands as well. Flash flooding was reported on roads in Leicester and Market Harborough town centre, and over 45,000 properties were affected by power outages in towns and villages such as Desford and Market Bosworth. Power was restored to all properties by 8:30 pm despite a fault in the National Grid’s high voltage overhead network.
The weather also impacted some shops, such as the Riverside Retail Park’s Boots store in Nottingham and Asda store in West Bridgford, which closed early due to roof leaks caused by heavy rainfall. Poundland, located at the same retail park, suffered water damage and remained closed on Sunday to assess the damage
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