Lightning Strike Causes Fire at Nursing Home
One individual was hospitalized after a lightning strike ignited a fire at St Benedict's Nursing Home in Glastonbury.
Fire crews responded to reports of a lightning strike and smoke emanating from the second floor of the nursing home, located on Benedict Street, at 00:41 BST.
White Care Group, the operator of the facility, confirmed that the lightning strike resulted in a small electrical fire within an en suite bathroom. The remainder of the building continued to operate normally.
The group added that a resident was transported to hospital as a precaution and is currently under observation.
According to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue, three individuals were evacuated by fire crews, with one person taken to hospital. An additional 25 residents remained in the building.
Firefighting teams from Glastonbury, Totnes, Bridgwater, Street, Martock, Shepton Mallet, and Wells attended the incident, departing the scene by 05:51.
A spokesperson for White Care Group stated the company is "doing everything possible to reassure and support our other residents," noting that six residents were temporarily relocated from their rooms.
"The damage to the building was limited to one room and one ridge-tile on the roof,"
they said, adding that initial reports had suggested the damage was "considerably worse than, thankfully, is actually the case."
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Somerset and the wider West region were under a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms overnight.
Local resident Vivienne Williams described the storm near the scene as "horrendous," stating:
"I really thought the world was coming to an end."
She told the BBC that the thunder and lightning were so intense that alarms were triggered, automatically notifying the fire station, which dispatched a crew to her block of flats.
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