Shocking video shows extensive damage to family home after lightning bolt strikes their property

A family says they’ve 'lost everything' in a devastating fire caused by lightning hitting their house.

Steve Force and his partner Rachel Partridge were at home on Saturday night (September 29), along with their 10-year-old daughter Amelia and dog Sky, when their property was rocked by a "massive bang". Steve, 42, said the impact of the lightning strike "shook the whole house" before a neighbour knocked on the door to tell them their roof was on fire.

Firefighters rushed to the scene on Kitchen Lane, in Essington, Staffordshire, as the flames spread to three other properties at around 9pm. Crews worked until 1.30am the following morning (Sunday) to extinguish the blaze, which destroyed Steve and Rachel's roof and badly damaged bedrooms.

The family are staying with Steve's sister-in-law in Telford, Shropshire, for now, but have been told it’s unlikely they’ll be able to get back in their home before Christmas.

Steve, a car detailer, said: “My attic is completely gone, everything we had up there was family heirlooms, keepsakes, passports. Rachel was in tears when she found that.

"It is things you can never replace, pictures of my mum who died 20 years ago, photos of the kids when we were young. When you think about what you lost it is horrible, but at least we are all still alive.”

More than £5,000 has been raised through a GoFundMe page to help replace what the family have lost in the blaze. You can donate to the GoFundMe here.

The family’s story comes after lightning hit another Staffordshire property on Saturday. A security camera captured the harrowing moment the bolt hit the roof of a pensioner’s home - causing a massive explosion.