Bedroom fire in Banbury following thunderstorm

Two Oxfordshire crews, along with an engine from Warwickshire, arrived and found the fire to be in a first floor bedroom of a semi-detached house.

The fire was brought under control by fire fighters wearing breathing apparatus using high pressure hose reels and pressurised fans.

The fire had started after lightning struck the roof mounted television aerial and caused a surge of power through the coaxial cable which ran into the first floor bedroom.

The owners of the house were not at home at the time the lightning struck, returning home shortly afterwards, where they found smoke in the property upon opening the front door.

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service recommend that all domestic premises have at least one working smoke alarm on each floor, and they are tested once a week, and that doors are closed when leaving your home.