Mysterious phenomenon is simply electrifying
GIANT explosions and blinding flashes of lights have been blighting the lives of people living in Peterborough for centuries. Now an expert has claimed that the city could be a hotspot for a mysterious phenomenon that is baffling scientists all over the globe. DAVID OLD reports
TODAY, as weather forecasters warn of potential thunderstorms on the way, an expert has revealed that Peterborough may be a hotspot for a dangerous weather phenomenon.
Peter van Doorn, an expert carrying out research into some of the most dangerous elements that can strike earth literally like a bolt from the blue, believes a house in Stanground could have been hit by something deadlier than lightning – a fireball.
Mr van Doorn, director of the Ball Lightning Research Division of TORRO (Tornado and Storm Research Organisation) at Oxford Brookes University, was intrigued by The Evening Telegraph report into a strike on the home of Kirsty and Michael Dawson, in Barham Close, Stanground.
After reading how the bungalow was blasted during a sudden thunderstorm, leaving a hole ripped through the roof, and heavy electrical appliances moved, Mr van Doorn was fascinated and felt it had all the hallmarks of "a fireball event."
The expert decided to carry out some fast research work, and now believes that Peterborough could be a hotspot for such bombshells from the sky.
Mr van Doorn, who scans the media for evidence of strikes and read the report on our website, said: "A fireball is very different from a bolt of lightning.
"They fall down from the sky, and have been seen to enter houses before exploding. They have ripped holes in walls and in roofs, and have caused all sorts of strange occurrences.
"They have been seen during thunderstorms and, even, when the weather has been fine.
"Witnesses have described hearing a massive explosion followed by a brilliant flash of light. They are formed in the atmosphere and fall to earth. They can be deadly. They could kill, there's no doubt about that.
"They are a very genuine phenomenon and are becoming more and more important."
Mr van Doorn said the form of ball lightning could vary in size from as small as a golf ball to as large as a kilometre in diameter.
And he said they could hang in the air for several minutes as they fell to earth.
He said: "You can't predict what it's going to do. It's almost like a nuclear reactor. Fireballs or ball lightning are a compact ball containing a reservoir of energy which explodes on contact with the earth. They're most extraordinary things.
"Even after the ball has exploded there can be other events for some time afterwards. There have been reports of areas of pressure hanging around in houses and people have complained of getting headaches after the strike.
"Peterborough does seem to be a hotspot for strikes and these fireballs, but we just don't know why. It may be the flatlands, intervening hills and the influence of the Fens, or it may be a connection to the North Sea, but it's a new subject and we are still breaking ground.
"But if it's happened once it can happen again."
Cold comfort for Peterborough people who fear ordinary lightning – never mind fireballs.
Lights witnessed by poet John Clare
FIREBALLS may have created shock, fear, and disaster in the Peterborough throughout history.
Researcher Peter van Doorn pointed to the work of renowned 19th century poet John Clare, who lived at Helpston, near Peterborough, as containing potential evidence of fireball events.
He said: "In his poetry John Clare was haunted by mysterious lights above Peterborough. Maybe the lights he was referring to in his poetry were more examples of fireballs."
And there are more cases that Mr van Doorn claims backs up his claims.
• July 11, 1806: During a thunderstorm over Peterborough, a fireball fell and exploded in the marketplace causing considerable alarm.
• July 28, 1806: A fireball was recorded as falling at Elton, near Peterborough.
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FACTfile – Precautions
Before the thunderstorm
• Unplug all non-essential appliances, including the television, as lightning can cause power surges.
• Seek shelter if possible. When you hear thunder you are already within range of where the next ground flash may occur, lightning can strike as far as 10 miles away from the centre of a storm.
During the thunderstorm
• Avoid using the phone — telephone lines can conduct electricity.
• Avoid using taps and sinks — metal pipes can conduct electricity.
• If outside avoid water and find a low-lying open place that is a safe distance from trees, poles or metal objects.
• Avoid activities such as golf, rod fishing or boating on a lake.
• If you find yourself in an exposed location, squat close to the ground, with hands on knees and with head tucked between them. Try to touch as little of the ground with your body as possible, do not lie down on the ground.
• If you feel your hair stand on end, drop to the above position immediately.
After the thunderstorm
• Avoid downed power lines or broken cables.
• If someone is struck by lightning they often suffer severe burns. The strike also affects the heart, so check if they have a pulse.
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CASEFILES
Tony Mastrullo
BARBARA Mastrullo was at home with her family in Peterborough when a bolt of lightning hit the roof of their house.
She said: "It came over really black, like we were going to have a storm, then there was one flash and a bang and that was it. There wasn't a storm just a flash which hit our house."
The bolt, in July 2003, hit the top of the roof and the TV aerial.
The electricity surge wrecked the television and video.
Mrs Mastrullo, who lives with her husband Tony and three children, Lisa, Gemma and Craig, in Woodcote Close, Dogsthorpe, added: "We ran outside and had a look at where it hit. There were no other flashes we must have just been very unlucky."
George McCann
GEORGE McCann (70) and his wife Margaret (69) had a lucky escape when their home was rocked by an explosion during a thunderstorm in October 2003.
They were at a friend's house when a huge surge of energy wrecked their property in Davids Close, Werrington, Peterborough at about 4pm.
Mr McCann said: "It hit the tree first, then blew up two sheds and the greenhouse before it came into the house.
The surge then moved into the catering kitchen and blew the windows out at the back of the house.
"We were very lucky. It was unbelievable how powerful it was."
The force of the explosion wrecked the television, DVD player and fuse box inside the home and affected televisions and appliances in homes several streets away.
Mr McCann said he believed the strike which caused the damage to his home, could have been a fireball.
He said: "A friend of mine saw it come over my house. She said that everything went pitch black but the lightning didn't drop down out of the sky. She heard a big bang and saw the light going down to my tree. I don't know where it came from."
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14 April 2005
). No solid photos exist, the best one is admittedly a 'hoax' (and by 'hoax' I mean it was made by a machine that could not have generated it in the outside world).
