LIGHTNING BLAZE

Family home destroyed by fire as supercharged thunderstorm pulverises Scotland with 13,689 strikes of shock and awe

- RUTH SUTER & PAUL DRURY

A BLAZE gutted a house as more than 13,000 lightning strikes hit Scotland in 24 hours.

Fire crews raced to Grampian View in Aviemore when a house was hit by a bolt during the severe storm.

Two children and an adult escaped from the blaze yesterday morning and were said to be unharmed.

Retired physics teacher Nick Forwood, 67, was standing at the entrance to his home, on the same street in the Inverness-shire town, when the property was struck.

"Even though I was 100 yards away I could feel the electric shock run up my legs," said Nick, a former member of Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team.

"I was tracking the lightning on an app.

I could see them coming but it was still a shock when they arrived. After the house was hit, you could smell the smoke. Half an hour later, flames were coming through the roof in two places.

"Fortunately the family inside got out. There was a woman and two children. They were lucky but they must have lost everything. The fire was in the roof, ceilings were collapsing. It was too dangerous at first for the firefighters.

"The fourth member of the family was not there at the time.

"As well as the thunder and lightning, it was chucking it down. I guess the house can't be saved and it will have to be demolished.

"It is so desperately sad for the family involved. But the weather was just incredible." Another resident told the Record: "The thunder and lightning were simultaneous, which I have never witnessed before. I lost power in my house almost immediately.

"About 20 minutes later I saw smoke outside, so I went up and a house on our street was up in flames. The thunder was violent, it was pretty horrible.