A house in Nottingham burst into flames with people claiming it was struck by lightning.
The home, in a residential street in Arnold, was attended to by six fire crews in the early hours of Wednesday, July 24, as thunderstorms spread across the UK.
NottinghamshireLive reports that it is suspected that the lightning strike caused the blaze which caused extensive damage to the property's roof.
The home owners were not inside the property at the time and there were no injuries, Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said.
A spokesman for the fire service added: "Several calls came to use at 2.48am.
"We had four pumps and the occupants were out at the time. We had crews from Arnold, London Road, Carlton, Stockhill one and two and Mansfield."
Ben Bennett, 80, described the noise of the crack of lightning as like a "bomb going off".
He added: "And then within seconds we could smell the smoke. Looked out our window and could see the fire.
"The crews were here so quick, it was absolutely super."
Residents of Greater Manchester were also woken by huge thunderstorm in the early hours amid an intense heatwave.
Thunder, lightning and a deluge of rain arrived in the region at around 2am.
