VERNON – It rarely happens but it happened Wednesday evening in Vernon when a house was struck by a lightning bolt.
The residents weren’t home but a neighbour says it sounded like a bomb.
“Ka-boom! So loud I literally jumped off the floor,” says Shannon Yochim.
The lightning hit a chimney, scattering bricks for considerable distances in all directions.
The fire department was called to check the house.
“They didn’t find any smoke or fire so that’s a good thing,” says Captain Dean Wakefield.
The lightning caused damage to the home’s electrical circuit breaker and to several wall outlets.
Wakefield says it’s very unusual for a house to be struck by lightning.
“It sure is. It’s not the highest house in the neighbourhood so why we’ll just never know.”
There is a strip of aluminum flashing around the chimney.
“It must have acted like a lightning rod, says Yochim.
The lightning bolt also knocked out cable TV, phone and internet services to two neighbouring homes.