Family left homeless after lightning strike razes house

A FAMILY-of-six was left homeless as a frightening electrical storm ravaged parts of the country yesterday.

A family fromshocked Bantry, Co Cork, were counting their blessings after a mid-morning lightning bolt reduced their home to a shell. The hilltop dormer-type was unoccupied at the time.

Civil servant Joe O’Connell and his wife Deirdre were both at work while three of the children, Kelly, 11, Emma, 9, and Brian, 7, were at the local gaelscoil. Their youngest, four-year-old Alison, was with a child minder.

Pat Kelly, a local councillor and brother of Deirdre, said: “Neighbours heard a band and saw the house engulfed by flames. Within minutes, it was an inferno.

“Obviously, they are very distraught. Nothing was salvageable. They lost all their personal possessions but, at the end of the day, they’re counting their blessings.

“If this had happened on Sunday morning when everyone was at home, there could have been tragic consequences.”

“Neighbours and townspeople have been very good and the emergency services, especially the fire brigade, were excellent in the way they responded.

“Although there have been several offers of temporary accommodation, everyone is very distraught. They went out to work and returned to find their home gone.

“If this had happened yesterday, lives would have been lost. The blast was so intense it blew out windows about 30 feet from the house.”

Bantry supermarket owner Tom Barry said: “It was all over within seconds. The skies darkened and there was a massive flash followed by a bang. I could smell smoke and looked out to see it billowing from the direction of the Old Barrack Road. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The house was burnt to the ground.”

The family were last night being comforted by relatives and friends. They were the only victims of lightning strikes yesterday. The ESB confirmed over 10,000 consumers were affected by power outages as lightning storms raged from early yesterday. The worst affected areas were Galway, Mayo and Kerry, with power outages also reported in south County Dublin, Wicklow, Carlow and Kilkenny.