Suspected lightning strike sets house on fire
BBC Weather Watchers/Mat HA house "likely" caught fire after being hit by lightning, firefighters have said.
East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said it was called on Friday night to reports of a fire at a residential building on Cliftonville Road in St Leonards-on-Sea.
Four fire engines and an aerial ladder platform were used to tackle the blaze, which the fire service said was extinguished by 23:45 BST.
There were no reported casualties.
Local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut by firefighters, who used two hoses and one main jet to put out the flames.
Police were also in attendance, according to ESFRS.
The Met Office had issued an amber warning for thunderstorms, covering parts of east Sussex and Kent overnight until 05:00.
More than 30,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK overnight, with the extreme weather causing flash floods in parts of Kent.
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