Family home struck by lightning
A young family has survived a terrifying lightning strike after their Gippsland home took a direct hit in the early hours of this morning.
Wayne and Mandy Giliam thought a bomb had gone off when the bolt shot through the roof of their Leongatha home, narrowly missing their two young daughters.
"Suddenly we heard this big clap of thunder," Mandy told reporter Christie Cooper
"It sounded like a truck coming through the house," Wayne added.
Ashley, 10, and Stacey, 12, were both asleep when a lightning bolt hit the top of an antenna, burst through the roof and into the living room, striking just a few metres from their bedroom.
"That was the scariest part about it all," Wayne said.
"Where it actually hit was right next to the girls' bedroom - that was the most terrifying thing about the ordeal."
The strike has caused thousands of dollars worth of damage, including three large holes in the roof.
In Ashley's bedroom, the electric blanket copped the hit.
"I'm sort of stuck for words at the minute, everywhere we look there's damage, mainly around the kids' bedroom," Wayne said.
The blast was so loud it could be heard across the tiny town, and CFA volunteers had started to prepare for an emergency even before they were alerted via a paging device.
CFA volunteer Andrew Kay, who was on the scene within minutes, said the family had a lucky escape.
"The insulation was fibreglass so that doesn't catch fire...all things considered, I think they were reasonably lucky," he said.
The town is no stranger to lightning drama.
In 2002, Angela Young was struck while herding cattle, leaving her with serious burns.
