STRUCK BY LIGHTNING

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 51, Issue 25, 10 November 1930, Page 5

STRUCK BY LIGHTNING

HOUSE AT BLENHEIM.

CONSIDERABLE DAMAGE DONE. SOME NARROW ESCAPES. (Pei Press Association.) BLENHEIM, This Day. The home of Air C. Ei. Alatthews, of Rapaura, was struck by lightning during an electrical storm on Saturday afternoon. One wall was partly wrecked, the weather-boards being hurled a considerable distance, while interior lining boards from the same wall were hurled across the room, narrowly missing two little girls and a maid, who were in the kitchen. In several other portions of the house the floor-boards were broken and tlie exterior wall penetrated. In all, nine windows were shattered as if by an explosion. In the interior the whole building was wrapped in' blue flame for a considerable period, and later became enveloped in thick smoke, but there was no outbreak of fire. Outside, two sections of fencing were completely burned away by the current. A telephone pole was shattered, and a big fencing post split. Air Matthews, who was attending to his fowls, was knocked over by the free discharge, but suffered no injury. One fowl was wrapped in blue flame and knocked out, but subsequently revived. Several residents in the vicinity report that the telephone fuses were thrown about. There were no casualties.