MORE than 30 firefighters worked through the night to extinguish a house fire started by a lightning strike.
The three-storey house in Elsworth Road, Boxworth, was struck by lightning at 3.15am today (Tuesday) which started a fire within the cavity of the brick and timber structure.
Firefighters from Huntingdon and Cambridge started tacklig the fire and used thermal imaging cameras before calling for back up from Gamlingay, Cambridge, Cottenham, Papworth and Huntingdon crews, an incident command unit and a rescue vehicle.
A Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue spokesman said: “The fire in the building, measuring 15m by 15m, was affecting all three floors and firefighters made efforts to stop it spreading.
“At 5am the incident was sectorised and six firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were using hose reels to fight the fire.
“External fire breaks were cut into the roof and internal breaks were cut into the walls of the house.
“At 6.45am crews were using positive pressure ventilation fans to ventilate and assist with extinguishing the incident.”
By 8.20am the firefighting was scaled down and two crews from Cambridge and one from Huntingdon are still at the site.
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