This is Leicestershire -- A bolt of lightning started a fire which tore through two terraced houses in Leicester. People living in Eyres Monsell reported hearing a loud crash and felt the ground shake when the strike hit, at about 5pm during Saturday afternoon's thunderstorm. Firefighters from stations in Wigston and Leicester were called to the scene in Sturdee Road, near to the Exchange shopping centre. A fire service spokeswoman said: "The lightning struck the end house on the terrace, setting fire to the roof, which spread to the adjoining property. "Crews using breathing gear managed to gain entry to the house while a jet of water was trained on the burning roof from an aerial ladder platform." Police closed a section of the road as firefighters tackled the blaze, which caused the roof of the first house to collapse. The fire spokeswoman the aerial ladder was used to remove white hot roof tiles. Firefighters remained on the scene until past 10pm damping down and searching for any remaining 'hotspots' that could have re-ignited the blaze at any time. Supports were placed in the roof to prevent further collapse and plastic sheeting used to protect the gaping hole from any rain. The fire spokeswoman said both properties were empty at the time of the strike. No-one was hurt in the incident and the full extent of the damage is still being assessed.
Reported by This is 11 hours ago.
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