'I thought a plane had crashed!' Five injured after lightning hits house near Birmingham Airport

Fire crews were called to battle the blaze which broke out in the Sheldon area of Birmingham at around 11am today.

Dramatic photos show how almost the entire roof was decimated by the inferno, which tore through the semi-detached property in Greenvale Avenue.

Three women and two men were treated by medics at the scene - including one female casualty who was taken to the city's Heartlands Hospital.

Luckily, the occupants of the property were out at the time but were "absolutely gutted" by the damage which also destroyed sentimental items in the loft.

The homeowner, who did not wish to be named, said: "We weren't there when it happened so we're obviously pretty lucky but we're absolutely gutted.

"All the kids' stuff is there. It's mainly sentimental stuff that has been ruined and we now have to wait for the council to help us move.

"Thank god nobody was in the house at the time. I got a call from my dad to ask if we were inside and I was in Poundland at the time. He said 'your house is on fire'.

"I have been told I can't go in the property yet because there's structural damage and the bedroom ceiling has collapsed."

Neighbours reported hearing a loud 'bomb-like' explosion which set off car alarms as storms swept across the region this morning.

One local added: "We're right by Birmingham Airport so I thought a plane had crashed.

"It was like a bomb had gone off, car alarms were blaring everywhere, I've never heard anything like it.

"The fire service were here quick and I think have managed to stop it spreading to the main part of the house. The roof has been destroyed though.

"I think those treated were from a neighbouring property as the owners of the house struck weren't in, I believe."

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesperson said: "At around 10.50am, we were called to reports of a suspected lightning strike at Greenvale Avenue and Mapledene Road in Sheldon.

"Two ambulances, a paramedic officer and the Trust’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were sent to the scene.

"There were five patients requiring assessment: three women and two men.

"One woman was treated for injuries not believed to be serious and conveyed to Heartlands Hospital.

"The other patients were treated for minor injuries and given self-care advice before being discharged at the scene."

A spokeswoman for Birmingham Airport said there was no impact to flights as a result of the weather on Monday morning.

Severe weather warnings for thunderstorms have been issued for large parts of the UK after temperatures soared this weekend.

Yellow warnings are in place for northern England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, with forecasters warning the storms may cause disruption and damage to buildings.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "Four fire crews, an aerial platform and our drone team responded to Greenvale Avenue, Sheldon, where fire from a lightning strike destroyed the roof of a terraced house.

"A nearby telegraph pole was damaged by a secondary strike. We understand that the ambulance service took a neighbour to hospital for precautionary checks, and assessed four more people after a property was struck in nearby Mapledene Road."

Elsewhere, lightning struck a home in Cardoness Place, Dudley, at about 10am on Monday and caused damage to its roof.