Previous Day
Lightning damages three Mayo homes
Lightning hit three properties in the same neighbourhood of a Co Mayo village this morning.
Firefighters were called out to Binghamstown near Belmullet at around 7.30am to reports of a small fire, electrical damage and structural damage at three nearby bungalows. No one was injured.
Seamus Murphy, chief fire officer at Mayo Fire Services, said the bungalows were probably hit by the same bolt.
"We got the calls around the same time and these properties were in close proximity to each other. "It's very unusual . . . we've had the odd strike before but never like this," he added.
Mr Murphy advised householders to unplug electrical appliances that do not need power, especially during stormy weather.
Met Éireann had issued thunderstorm warnings across the country prior to the strikes. A spokeswoman explained that showers in coastal areas were more intense because the temperatures at sea are higher than they are on land.
"The weather conditions are nothing out of the ordinary," she said. "They are severe but completely normal for this time of year in Ireland."
© 2008 ireland.com
