Family f lee as lightning strike sets home ablaze
Terrifying ordeal as downpours and hailstones batter Scotland
A FAMILY was forced to flee their home after the roof caught fire when struck by lightning during a severe summer storm.
Frank Malcolm, his wife Linda and their two young sons escaped the blaze uninjured although the upper floor of their property has been destroyed.
The fire at their home in Lenzie, Dunbartonshire, happened as, across the country, the storm sparked 3,000 lightning strikes, as well as flooding and huge hailstones.
Traffic was brought to a standstill as roads turned white amid the downpour.
More stormy conditions are forecast, although this week will also bring sunshine with temperatures as high as 66F (19C).
Mr Malcolm said he and his family were alerted by a neighbour that the roof of their five-bedroom villa – where they have lived for only seven months – was ablaze at around 5.45pm on Saturday.
He said: ‘There had been thunder and lightning beforehand but we just thought it would pass over.
‘The TV was on and I heard crackling and then the electricity tripped. That’s when I saw smoke in the back garden but I’d no idea what was happening on the roof.
‘There was a knock and a neighbour said, “You better get out! Your roof’s on fire!” We just ran.’
Mr Malcolm, a surveyor whose job involves assessing firedamaged buildings and helping rebuild them, looked on in horror as flames consumed the roof of his property, built by Miller Homes and worth around £300,000.
The Met Office posted a yellow ‘be aware’ storm warning in effect for large areas of Scotland between noon and 9pm on Saturday.
Forecasters had predicted a ‘hit and miss’ storm, saying some areas might encounter heavy rain, thunder, lighting and hail but other places might escape.
In the late afternoon, traffic was brought to a standstill on the M9.
Motorists posted video on social media of the carriageway south of Dunblane, Perthshire, carpeted in hailstones after the heavens opened around 4.30pm. Heavy hail was also seen in nearby Comrie.
Flooding shut the A77 in both directions between the Holmston and Bankfield roundabouts in Ayrshire.
The A9 was flooded, too, between Greenloaning and Blackford near Braco, in Perthshire. Drivers also faced dreadful conditions in Dumfriesshire, particularly on the main M74 to England.
Fourteen flood alerts were still in place yesterday from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, for areas including Aberdeenshire, Ayrshire and Arran, Dumfries and Galloway, Edinburgh, Tayside and West Central Scotland.
Water on the tracks caused train services to be cancelled yesterday between Dalmuir and Clydebank, Dunbartonshire, after flooding the day before. ScotRail said debris and a collapsed wall also caused disruption to services through Yoker, in Glasgow, yesterday.
Also in Glasgow, heavy rain fell in the city centre at around 5pm, with downpours hitting the thousands of fans heading to Hampden to see Beyoncé and Jay Z. In Edinburgh, the crowds at Murrayfield for the Rolling Stones’ No Filter tour escaped the storms.
The lowest temperature at the weekend was 52F (11C), recorded in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, while Tulloch Bridge, Inverness-shire, had most rainfall, with 21.2mm.
The Met Office is forecasting a cooler week ahead, with the chances of some heavy showers.