Lightning Strikes St Stephen's & West Church Spire
Around about 5pm tonight a mighty thunder clap and crashing sound gave me a shock as I sat at the kitchen table emailing on my laptop computer. The intensity of the lightning flash and the volume of the thunder bolt made me think it had been a close call. When I emerged from my house a few minutes later, I realised how close the lightning had been! Six doors down from my home, the spire of Saint Stephen's and West Church was being doused by fire fighters. The smell of burnt wood wafted in the air. The roof of the spire had obviously been badly damaged with sarking and slates torn off. The arcing lightning seems to have run down the spire and then bounced onto the main roof, grounding through the cast iron roof gutters and down pipes, some of which were hanging out of position precariously. I hope the Kirk Session have good insurance cover for their church roof.
Around about 5pm tonight a mighty thunder clap and crashing sound gave me a shock as I sat at the kitchen table emailing on my laptop computer. The intensity of the lightning flash and the volume of the thunder bolt made me think it had been a close call. When I emerged from my house a few minutes later, I realised how close the lightning had been! Six doors down from my home, the spire of Saint Stephen's and West Church was being doused by fire fighters. The smell of burnt wood wafted in the air. The roof of the spire had obviously been badly damaged with sarking and slates torn off. The arcing lightning seems to have run down the spire and then bounced onto the main roof, grounding through the cast iron roof gutters and down pipes, some of which were hanging out of position precariously. I hope the Kirk Session have good insurance cover for their church roof.
