Neighbours rally to aid Cork woman whose house was gutted by fire after lightning strike

The fire took hold and caused extensive damage to the house. No injuries were reported

Cork County Fire Service units from Clonakilty, Dunmanway, and Bandon brought the blaze under control after the lightning strike in Rossmore — one of dozens reported across Munster. Picture: iStock

A community has rallied to help a woman whose house was gutted by fire after a lightning strike.

Cork County Fire Service said it was tasked to the scene of a house fire in the Rossmore area near Ballineen, between Clonakilty and Dunmanway, in West Cork at around 8.40pm on Sunday.

Munster was under a Met Éireann yellow weather warning at the time, with warnings of potentially heavy and thundery downpours.

There were dozens of reports of lightning strikes across the province, as a belt of active thunderstorms swept in from the Atlantic over the south west coast and travelled northwards through West Cork and up into Limerick, Clare, and onwards.

Three units of the county fire service, from Clonakilty, Dunmanway, and Bandon, responded to the scene of the house fire at Carhuvolour, where they found a two-storey property ablaze.

Video from earlier this evening near Ballineen in West Cork with electrical pole fire and sadly reports that a house nearby was also struck by lightning and the house destroyed by fire. Thoughts with the owners of the home. pic.twitter.com/kwti8fNgpU

— Carlow Weather (@CarlowWeather) August 11, 2024

No injuries were reported.

Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control but not before it had caused extensive damage to the home.

Crews remained at the scene until 3.10am on Monday to ensure the fire was extinguished.

A video was posted online by Carlow Weather of an electricity pole on fire in the Ballineen area at around the same, which was also caused by a lightning strike.

This article was updated on August 13 in light of new information to reflect that the owner was not in the house at the time.