Britain was last night blasted by torrential rain and a dramatic lightning show, which resulted in chaotic scenes in Essex.
Fire crews were called to Braintree at 1.52am after one lightning bolt struck the roof of a semi detached home, sparking a fire in the three storey house.
The blaze was so severe it took three fire crews two hours to extinguish.
Firefighters described the fire as ‘well alight’, but thankfully no one was injured in last night’s incident.
Essex County Fire and Rescue Service said: "Crews from Braintree initially attended the incident and found the roof of the semi-detached home well alight and the first floor smoke-logged.
"A decision was made to mobilise a pump from Coggelshall which was joined by a pump from Halstead at 02:04am.
"Firefighters used breathing apparatus, a mains jet and two hose reels to tackle the blaze, utilising a rescue pump aeriel ladder to gain height.
"Six people were evacuated from the property and were cared for by the Red Cross. The fire was extinguished at 3.59am."