An historic Broughty Ferry church has suffered major damage after its spire was hit by a direct lightning strike.
The A-listed St Stephen’s and West Church at the corner of Westfield Road and Dundee Road was struck during a fierce thunderstorm at 4.20pm on Thursday.
Members of the church sub-committee had been at a meeting inside the building just half an hour before the lightning struck.
The building’s spire took the full force of the strike and the structure was all but destroyed, with roof tiles, timber and masonry raining to earth.
There was also damage to the wider roof space, internal masonry and stained-glass panels.
The strike and loud rumble of thunder that accompanied it were heard throughout Broughty Ferry, and a number of homes and businesses close to the church were left without power.
Architect Roddy Paul who works at James Paul & Associates, on the opposite corner of Westfield Road from the church was one of a number of people who called the fire service after seeing the damage caused by the strike.
He said, “We were just working away when we saw this huge big flash of light.
“I was standing and I looked outside to see stuff falling from the roof of the spire.”
He added, “We have got two windows that have been cracked, and that just shows the force of it.
“With the amount of debris, I doubt if it is stable.””Sounded like a bomb had gone off”Sisters Lianne Petrie and Lacey Irvine were visiting their mother in a nearby block of flats when the church was hit.
“It was like there was a big bowl of light and it sounded like a bomb had gone off,” Lianne said.
“We knew right away it had hit something, and then we turned around and all the stuff started falling from the roof of the church.”
Lacey, a nurse, said, “We were at our mum’s house in Brook Street. We had just got in and sat down when we saw this massive flash of light and there was this huge noise.
“I have never heard anything like it before. We have been to Florida, and the thunder and lightning there was nothing compared to this.”
Linda Hendry, who lives yards from the church, was drawing up in her car when she heard the lightning strike.
She said, “There was an almighty bang, but at that point I didn’t realise the church had been struck.
“In the house our electricity went off for a while, and our phones are still off.
“Thank goodness there was nobody in the church at the time.”
Resident Charlotte Lythe said her dog had been frightened by the freak storm, which was preceded by a downpour of hailstones.
She added, “My dog leapt off my lap when the lightning hit.
“You can see the guttering has fallen down, so the lightning must have cut right down the side of the church.”Spire “very unstable”The church’s assistant fabric convener Ronald Raffan who worked in construction made his way to the church within minutes of the incident, and his knowledge of the building was called upon by the fire brigade as they made their assessments.
He believes the spire is “very unstable” and will have to be demolished before being rebuilt.
Mr Raffan said, “It is not safe, and a quick assessment says the spire will need to be demolished. No doubt we will get a report from the fire brigade, but from the western view it is dangerous.
“It is a sad day, that is for sure. I don’t know how insurance pays out when this happens, but it is a category one-listed building and I should imagine that the spire will have to be rebuilt along with the other bits and pieces damaged in the process.”
Balmossie fire appliances rushed to the scene, and an aerial ladder platform unit was also sent to allow crew members to make an assessment of the damage from above.
Station manager Mark Crush said it was fortunate the strike did not spark a major blaze in the roof timbers.
He said, “There has been a significant lightning strike directly on the spire which has caused significant damage to the spire and surrounding masonry.
“There was also smoke and there was some water and masonry damage to the inside of the building.”
A Dundee City Council spokesman said there had been no need to evacuate residents in surrounding streets.
He said, “The initial assessment made by the city engineer has concluded that the structure of the spire is still sound.
“Arrangements have been made to secure the area overnight, and the church will be taking further steps tomorrow.”