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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Lightning strike sets London tower block on fire | Lightning strike sets London tower block on fire |
| (7 months later) | |
| Jo Adetunji | |
| Tue 28 Jun 2011 21.08 BST | |
| First published on Tue 28 Jun 2011 21.08 BST | |
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| A fire that broke out on the 17th floor of a block of flats in south London is suspected to have been caused by one of a series of lightning strikes that hit buildings and one person across south-east England . | A fire that broke out on the 17th floor of a block of flats in south London is suspected to have been caused by one of a series of lightning strikes that hit buildings and one person across south-east England . |
| Flight from Gatwick Airport were suspended and a building set on fire after storms followed the recent heatwave. | Flight from Gatwick Airport were suspended and a building set on fire after storms followed the recent heatwave. |
| One woman was treated for smoke inhalation and another 40 forced to flee the tower block after a blaze broke out in Bermondsey, south London, at around 2pm. The fire service said it was still investigating the exact cause of the blaze. | One woman was treated for smoke inhalation and another 40 forced to flee the tower block after a blaze broke out in Bermondsey, south London, at around 2pm. The fire service said it was still investigating the exact cause of the blaze. |
| Lightning also hit a traffic control tower at around 2pm at Gatwick, one of Britain's busiest airports, causing a temporary failure of some systems that prevented flights from leaving for half an hour. | Lightning also hit a traffic control tower at around 2pm at Gatwick, one of Britain's busiest airports, causing a temporary failure of some systems that prevented flights from leaving for half an hour. |
| And at 2.30pm fire crews were called to a house in Maidenbower, near Crawley, West Sussex, after it was also hit. Tom Langham, 25, a teaching assistant in Sutton, south London, was taken to hospital after being hit by lightning, but survived to tell the tale, saying he felt he had taken a round with the boxer Mike Tyson. | And at 2.30pm fire crews were called to a house in Maidenbower, near Crawley, West Sussex, after it was also hit. Tom Langham, 25, a teaching assistant in Sutton, south London, was taken to hospital after being hit by lightning, but survived to tell the tale, saying he felt he had taken a round with the boxer Mike Tyson. |
| The incidents come as heavy rain, thunder and lightning replaced temperatures that reached over 30C (86F) across parts of the UK on Monday. | The incidents come as heavy rain, thunder and lightning replaced temperatures that reached over 30C (86F) across parts of the UK on Monday. |
| Some of the heaviest rainfall fell in the south-east and 9mm of rain in one hour was recorded in Cavendish, in Suffolk. | Some of the heaviest rainfall fell in the south-east and 9mm of rain in one hour was recorded in Cavendish, in Suffolk. |
| The Environment Agency and the Met Office put out a warning about potential flash flooding across eastern, central and southern parts of the UK and said they had staff on alert. | The Environment Agency and the Met Office put out a warning about potential flash flooding across eastern, central and southern parts of the UK and said they had staff on alert. |
| The heavy rain and thunderstorms also caused chaos for a number of sporting fixtures, including a cricket match at Lords. | The heavy rain and thunderstorms also caused chaos for a number of sporting fixtures, including a cricket match at Lords. |
| Those at a centre court match at Wimbledon reported violent drumming on the recently erected roof. The players said they could barely hear the sound of the racquet hitting the ball, although the All England Club noted with relief that the roof had survived its toughest test yet. | Those at a centre court match at Wimbledon reported violent drumming on the recently erected roof. The players said they could barely hear the sound of the racquet hitting the ball, although the All England Club noted with relief that the roof had survived its toughest test yet. |
| Train services were disrupted across the south-east, with services in Hertfordshire suffering delays of up to 90 minutes. | Train services were disrupted across the south-east, with services in Hertfordshire suffering delays of up to 90 minutes. |
| Signalling in the Southall area was also affected, causing problems with trains to Heathrow airport. | Signalling in the Southall area was also affected, causing problems with trains to Heathrow airport. |
| The Environment Agency and Met Office had said they expected up to 40mm of rain to fall within a very short period over the south-east, and flood alerts – the lowest warning grade – were been issued for Thames tributary rivers in the London boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich and Lewisham. | The Environment Agency and Met Office had said they expected up to 40mm of rain to fall within a very short period over the south-east, and flood alerts – the lowest warning grade – were been issued for Thames tributary rivers in the London boroughs of Bromley, Croydon, Greenwich and Lewisham. |
| The stand-to follows the hottest day of the year on Monday, when temperatures at Gravesend monitoring station in Kent hit 32.8C. | The stand-to follows the hottest day of the year on Monday, when temperatures at Gravesend monitoring station in Kent hit 32.8C. |
| The forecast across Britain for the rest of the week shows lower temperatures of around 20C. | The forecast across Britain for the rest of the week shows lower temperatures of around 20C. |
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