A family of eight that recently left Gloriavale has lost everything after the house they were staying in was hit by lightning and burst into flames. Photo / Supplied
A family of eight that recently left Gloriavale has lost everything after the house they were staying in was hit by lightning and burst into flames. Photo / Supplied
A family of eight that recently left Gloriavale has lost everything after the house they were staying in was hit by lightning and burst into flames.
The farmhouse at Inchbonnie, near Lake Brunner on the South Island's West Coast, burnt to the ground on Saturday morning.
The family, with fivechildren aged between 2 and 11 years, had been living in the house for about two months working as farmhands, when the fire broke out.
A family of eight that recently left Gloriavale has lost everything after the house they were staying in was hit by lightning and burst into flames. Photo / Supplied
Everyone except the father and one of the children were in the house at the time and escaped unscathed.
The West Coast was battered by a severe electrical storm on the weekend, with MetService recording lightning directly striking the region 1,800 times on Saturday.
Fire crews were alerted to the fire on Kumara-Inchbonnie Rd at 9.30am.
Firefighters from Moana and Kumara volunteer fire brigades remained on site for about three hours battling the blaze.
"We are putting it down to a lightning strike because we had a huge amount of lightning in the area. A neighbour came over and said he saw the lightning strike the end of the house or the ground very close to the house," Moana chief fire officer Dave Larkin said.
From what crews can ascertain, the fire began in the lounge and living room area. "It's bulldozer material, it's totally destroyed," Larkin said.
Farmer Matt Donehue, who leases the property, said within 10 minutes of the lightning strike, the house was fully ablaze.
The farmhouse at Inchbonnie, near Lake Brunner on the South Island's West Coast, burnt to the ground on Saturday morning. Photo / Supplied
He said the family has been shaken up by the ordeal but were holding up well.
They have since been moved to a second property located on a farm close by.
Donehue, who spoke to the NZ Herald on behalf of the family, said the family wished to thank the community for its support.
"When they came out of Gloriavale, they didn't have many possessions at the start. It's probably been the hardest thing for them to suddenly get these possessions and then have them taken away again".
