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Lightning strikes residence in north Estevan

The thunderstorm that hit the Estevan on Thursday night resulted in plenty of lightning, and one residence on Mayfair Bay was struck by lightning.
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The thunderstorm that hit the Estevan on Thursday night resulted in plenty of lightning, and one residence on Mayfair Bay was struck by lightning. 

Members of the Estevan Fire Rescue Service, the Estevan Police Service and the Estevan Emergency Medical Services were called to the incident just after 10 p.m. There were reports of injuries due to the lightning strike, and also reports of damaged appliances.

When crews arrived on scene, they found that the four occupants of the home had safely evacuated and were at a neighbouring residence.

Three of the occupants – an adult and two children – were treated for minor injuries, and did not require hospitalization.

“Of course, they were very, very scared,” said Fire Chief Dale Feser. “With the very loud clap of thunder, they had a lot of ringing in their ears, similar to what would be if you were in close proximity to an explosion.”  

Crews entered the home affected by the lightning strike and used thermal imaging cameras to ensure that there wasn’t a fire in the structure. They also isolated power to the home.

SaskPower arrived on scene and pulled the meter from the home to ensure there wouldn’t be any fires following the fire department’s departure from the scene.

“It appears that the lightning struck the ground just outside the home, and entered through a sprinkler control box, and once that entered the system into the house, it followed the electrical wiring into the home, leading to the stove and microwave area of the kitchen,” said Feser.

The stove and the microwave were displaced from their original orientation. The kitchen area suffered major damage, he said. Some structural two-by-fours were completely blown apart as a result of the electrical current entering the home.

Feser said the homeowners will be displaced for a considerable amount of time due to the damage from the lightning strike.

There wasn’t an actual fire from the lightning strike, nor was there much structural damage to the exterior of the home.

The fire chief added that it’s rare to have a lightning strike a dwelling, and it’s been a while since the fire department has responded to such an incident.  

Also on Thursday night, police were called to a reported accident in the Royal Heights area. The driver was blinded by a close lightning strike and went off the road and hit a light pole. The vehicle sustained some minor damage and the driver was unhurt.