RESIDENTS have described the dramatic moments after a lightning strike caused a fire which devastated two homes.

A house in Coronation Way in Corfe Mullen was struck by a lightning bolt and residents said they heard a loud bang.

Terrifying doorbell camera footage shows the speed in which the fire ignited in the roof of the building.

Flames rose to ‘double the height of the house’, with 30 firefighters sent to tackle the blaze shortly after midnight on Monday, September 18.

Bournemouth Echo: Two houses have been devastated by the blaze.

Every resident was able to escape the fire, but it took more than two hours to extinguish, resulting in significant damage to the houses.

Sapryhn Griffin, 23, lives next door to the house that was struck, with her husband Liam.

She described the moment the bolt hit.

“The lightning stuck and my husband was about to pull in the window, because it was getting pretty bad,” she said.

“That’s when the bolt came down. He threw himself backwards, it was obvious something had happened. You could smell the smoke and burning rubber.

“We went downstairs, threw our clothes on and went downstairs. Immediately the neighbours were coming out and screaming 'fire, get out the house'.

“Within minutes, just enough time to grab a bag, we ran outside, the whole house blazed up, very quickly.”

Bournemouth Echo: Liam Griffin lives next door to the two houses that have been devastated by the fire.

Melissa Silver heard a ‘really loud bang’ but thought nothing of it and went back to sleep.

She said the fire was ‘crazy and traumatic’.

“About 10 minutes later we could hear shouting,” she said.

“Joe, my husband, was getting dressed to come out and see what was going on.

“Where the guttering is, there was just sparks. It wasn’t actually fire, it was just sparks along the gutter.

“We were packing to leave because the tiles were flying quite close to us and the fire brigade wasn’t here yet. We were a bit scared.

“That one went in flames, and then that one a couple of minutes later.”

Bournemouth Echo: Debris on the ground outside the houses in Corfe Mullen.

One resident described the flames as firefighters fought to get the blaze under control.

“We came round and it was just unbelievable,” she said.

“Flames going up into the sky, three hoses shooting into it and it just didn’t look like it was going to get under control and it was spreading. It was absolutely hideous. I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Residents praised the firefighters for controlling and then extinguishing the fire.

Liam Griffin said: “It went up so quickly. They did such a good job with saving our property.”

Saphryn added that all the neighbours were ‘fantastic’ in offering help to her as she is pregnant, and to the other residents affected by the fire.

Bournemouth Echo: Damage to the house in Corfe Mullen due to fire.

Another resident said the building was ‘engulfed’ within 10 minutes of the strike.

“One of the firefighters, the roof was starting to come down like a deck of cards, and he just casually strolled to the side, still jetting it,” she said.

“A couple of them got their oxygen masks on and went inside, just to tackle it from the inside as well.

"Probably an hour or two hours in they went up in the cherry picker on the fire engine and then they were tackling it from the top as well. It took a very long time to go out.”

The resident added: “[The firefighters] did such an amazing job. It’s not until you see them in action, you appreciate just how much they do and how they just get on with it.

“You can’t thank them enough really, and that could have been so much worse.”

Bournemouth Echo: Damage to the house in Corfe Mullen due to fire.

A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “We were called to Coronation Way, Corfe Mullen at 12.19am this morning after a lightning strike caused a significant fire in the roof space of two attached properties.

“Six fire crews attended, from Wimborne (x2), Poole (x2), Hamworthy and Ferndown, together with the aerial ladder platform from Westbourne and a support unit from Hamworthy [approx. 30 firefighters in total].

“Twelve breathing apparatus wearers used three hose reel jets and two main jets to bring the fire under control.

“Our stop was at 2.40am and we had left the scene by 5.30am, although a crew will be back this morning for a reinspection in daylight.

“Thankfully no-one was injured and everyone was out safely when we arrived, but the two affected houses are badly damaged.”