Lightning ‘sets Sydney home on fire’ as NSW hit by storm

ABC
Dec 05, 2016, updated Dec 05, 2016

Trampolines have flown into powerlines and a lightning strike has reportedly caused a house fire as a severe thunderstorm tracked from Sydney all along the coast up to northern NSW on Monday afternoon.

It moved north to Taree, Tamworth, Armidale and Grafton after bringing damaging winds and large hailstones to Sydney, Gosford and Newcastle late in the afternoon.

By 9:00pm, the warning was updated to include Lismore, Coffs Harbour and Port Macquarie in the state’s north.

Flights in and out of Sydney’s domestic airport were delayed up to an hour-and-a-half, and international flights were held back for up to an hour.

Emergency crews working to make network safe, reconnect 500 customers at Bolwarra Heights, Largs after storm blew trampoline into powerlines pic.twitter.com/FEvMLoVHAi

— Ausgrid (@Ausgrid) December 5, 2016

About 5:00pm, Ausgrid reported 7,000 homes and businesses were blacked out in parts of Sydney and the Central Coast and Hunter regions; by 7:45pm power had been restored more than 5,000 properties.

In the late afternoon Ausgrid tweeted a photo of a trampoline that flew up into powerlines in Bolwarra Heights.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) advised people in the warning areas to move their cars undercover and away from trees and to keep away from fallen powerlines.

BOM reported 44 millimetres of rain at Mona Vale Golf Club, and 96km per hour winds at Molineux Point.

They also advised residents to report fallen powerlines to their electricity provider, unplug appliances and keep indoors away from windows.

A house fire in Sydney’s north-shore suburb of Huntleys Point was reportedly caused by a lightning strike from the storm.

“The lady was actually home at the time with two young children and she was on the phone to her husband and she looked up and she could see fire in the roof through the lights of the house,” said local fire commander, Bob McGowan.

Mr McGowan said the family managed to get out of their home and were now “safe and sound”.

“It’s a tough thing, someone’s house on fire. All their belongings, all their memories damaged by the fire,” he said.