Lucky escape for family after their home in a Luton village was hit by lightning

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to reports of a roof fire in Edgecote Close, Caddington, shortly before midnight last night (May 18).

The blaze was caused by a lightning strike which completely destroyed the roof of a three-bedroom semi-detached house with the first floor suffering smoke damage.

Firefighters from Dunstable, Luton and Leighton Buzzard worked quickly to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to the adjacent property.

Police and ambulance also attended, with officers closing the road.

A statement on Twitter said: “Good evening from a very busy red watch. We are currently in attendance at a roof fire in Caddington following a lightning strike, appliances from Dunstable, Luton and Luton's aerial platform are in attendance.”

A spokesman said: “Thankfully, the property had working smoke alarms which allowed the residents to evacuate the building safely and call the fire brigade. All persons were accounted for and are safe and well.

"Crews returned to the premises this morning to carry out a safety inspection and ensure that there were no hot spots.”

The incident followed a yellow weather warning issued by the Met Office for the south of Bedfordshire and much of the south of England from 8pm last night.

The Met Office also warned thunderstorms may cause some flooding and disruption across the south of the county, especially Luton, which was expected to be more heavily impacted by the storms.