Terrifying Experience When Lightning Strikes

Chronicle (Levin), 12 September 1949, Page 4

Terrifying Experience When Lightning Strikes

Press Association)

(Per

DUNEDIN, Sept. 11. The oceupier of a house in Neidpath Itoaclv Mornington, Mr A.'Sim, hadt r a terrifying . experience this afternoOii when lightning struck the sitting Toqm chimney which was demolished from the roof upwards.- The bricks were sent hurtling. down the grate into the rooih and scnttered ih all directions about the yard. Mr Sim also appeared to have had a fortunate escape from injury, being thrown from one end of the room to the" other. He toid a reporter that he was ih the act of lighting the fire in the sitting room grate at the time. He said that the. room suddenly seemed to become Jfilled with blue . flameB whieh dafted about in all directions. He was hurled froni "i,n front of the grate to the dOor which fortunately was open, For a time he thought the house was being boinbed but a tremenflous thunder clap indieated What had really happened. ' ' Above the peals of thunder I eould hear bricks falling on to the roof and then dancing ofl: again into the yard. The house itself was filled with smoke," , klr Sim said, '-'And. the first thing 1 did when I scrambled to my feet was to go to the electric switch but 1 discovered that all the fuses had been blown. It was certainly a horrifying experience. " Tn the house- adjoining Mr Sim's, all the electric fuses were blown and the meter was so badly damaged that a neW one will have to be installed. One of the street lamps near Mr Sim 's house was badly damaged. The thuhderstorm whieh brought with it rain and 'later in the afternoon an exceptionally heavy fall of hail, hov erecl ocer the city and the Snrroundiliu . distrieta for' twp hours. It was actuall.v the last flash that brought the chimney dotvn. . .