Park Gate bungalow damaged after lightning strike

Residents reported hearing an "almighty crash" and a gaping hole has been left in the roof of a detached bungalow in Park Gate.

The bungalow in Pine Walk was hit during a thunderstorm on Monday afternoon.

Neighbours flocked from their homes to the affected property, where the roof was set alight.

Peter Edwards was in his house when he heard what could only be described as an “almighty crash followed by a massive flash of light”.

The damaged house in Pine Walk (Image: Newsquest)

He said: “I did not even know the house had been hit to begin with, but then I saw the smoke pouring out.

“It was unbelievable to see, especially as it could have been any of our houses.

“There were about five fire engines in the road, which had to be blocked off, and they were here for three hours.

“It is frightening to think something like this can happen so close to you.”

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Another neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, was driving home from Gosport with her husband when they were overtaken by fire engines.

“My husband joked I had left the cooker on”, she said, as the pair saw the emergency services fly past.

But as they approached Pine Walk, both saw that a fire had ripped through the roof of a nearby house.

(Image: Newsquest)

The neighbour said: “There was smoke coming out of the house.

“We did wonder if it had been struck by lightning. It was quite a shock.

“Luckily, the fire was out when the owner arrived, and no one was home.

“The fire brigade was very efficient, but it is a bit worrying.”

Crews from Fareham, Hightown and St Mary’s were called to the scene around 4pm, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire Service confirmed.

A spokesperson said: “Wearing breathing apparatus, firefighters used hose reel jets to extinguish the fire before clearing smoke with ventilation fans.

“The stop message came in at 6pm before the crews delivered community fire safety resources to neighbouring addresses.”