Lightning bolt blows fuses

Press, 28 December 1985, Page 7

Lightning bolt blows fuses

Nelson reporter

Una and Albie Preece of Jenner Road, Nelson, now fully comprehend the meaning of the phrase “a bolt from the blue.” Only the bolt did. not arrive from the blue, it flashed out of black thunder clouds over Nelson about II am. on Boxing Day, smashing its way into their home through the chimney. Mrs Preece said yesterday that her ears were still ringing with the sound of the explosion made by the lightning bolt as it smashed off a concrete cap on the chimney and earthed itself on a metal chip heater in the kitchen. In doing so it catapulted a removable heavy metal

door from the heater across the room, hitting Mr Preece as he was watching the heavy rain falling. The bolt ripped a hole In the chimney where it joins the heater. A telephone was flung off the wall and rendered useless, wallpaper at the side of the heater was stripped off, a television set earthed out and all the fuses in the house were blown. The lightning bolt struck at the height of an extremely heavy downpour which flooded Nelson streets and properties. Rain caused some internal damage in the lounge of the Preece house as part of the chimney cap dropped on to a fibrolite roof, smashing a hole in it