A firefighter is pictured working from the turntable ladder.

29 August 2009

Two semi-detached houses in Aston Clinton were damaged last night by a lightning strike.

Firefighters were called to Stratford Close at 6.50pm, where a fire on the second floor and in the roof space of the three-storey house that was hit was starting to spread to the adjoining property.

Crews from Aylesbury, Haddenham, Waddesdon and Stokenchurch attended, along with the turntable ladder from High Wycombe and the Command and Control Unit, Operational Support Unit and canteen van from Aylesbury. At its peak, there were about 35 firefighters and officers at the scene.

Station Manager Geoff Bottle, the incident commander, said: "When they arrived, the fire was threatening to take hold. The crews worked very hard in difficult conditions and bad weather to prevent it from spreading.

"Had they not done such a good job it could have caused considerably more damage and spread to neighbouring houses."

Firefighters used six sets of breathing apparatus, three jets, a hose reel and thermal imaging cameras.

There was no-one in the house that was struck by lightning. The occupants of the adjoining house were able to get out safely.

Two cars were also affected by the lightning. One had a window blown out and the second had its immobiliser activated.

The British Red Cross Fire and Emergency Support Service vehicle from Bletchley Fire Station also attended to look after the residents whose properties were involved.

Geoff said: "The Fire and Emergency Support Service team were excellent. They helped deal with welfare issues such as sorting out accommodation and starting to speak to insurers, while the firefighters concentrated on the job in hand."

Geoff also thanked local residents for their cooperation throughout the evening. He said: "We would like to thank everyone who was put out by what happened for being so understanding."

Firefighters had the fire under control in under an hour, but a relief crew remained at the scene until 8am on Saturday to check for hotspots.