Xmas surprise
Posted: Mon Dec 24, 2012 9:23 pm
Canberra woman Jane Klose is counting her blessings after a lightning strike blew up a gum tree and sent a giant shard of timber piercing through her ceiling, right above where she was sitting on Christmas Eve.
"It was about 6.45pm and I was watching The Project on TV. I heard this bang and there was lots of light. I initially thought the house had been hit by lightning," she said.
Instead, a "javelin-like piece of wood" had come through the ceiling of her Florey home above her head.
She said she was hyperventilating at the time, and it took her a moment to realise what had happened.
"A lightning strike hit this tall gum tree and the tree exploded. Lots of shards of large timber went flying, and one pierced our roof," she said.
"I’m very, very lucky and counting my blessings."
The tree caused three or four other smaller holes in the roof, and shattered some panes of glass and a skylight.
Shards of timber had gone everywhere, including two houses down the street, and SES workers had been busy covering the holes in the roof and cutting up the shards of timber.
