A Dublin man has spoken after the chimney of his house was effectively blown off by a lightning strike on Monday.
Derek Neilson was in the sitting room of his home in Tallaght when the lightning struck but thankfully was not injured during the storm.
The lightning strike caused damage to Derek's roof and chimney that will cost an estimated €2,000 to €3,000 to fix. His sister has set up a GoFundMe to help him pay for the repairs.
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Speaking to Dublin Live, Derek explained that he was in his sitting room fixing his child's scooter when there was a "big bang and a crash" and what he thought was smoke filled the room.
He said his neighbour from across the road immediately ran over to him and when they looked at the roof they saw bits of the chimney everywhere.
"People were showing up, driving by, videos all the time," he said. "Two or three of our neighbours ran over and started putting ladders up.
"One of the neighbours Paul and a friend of mine jumped up on the roof and the two of them secured it against water. I'd just like to send out a big thanks to the pair of them."
Derek said he thinks he is "still in shock" after the incident. "I'm just still ticking along with it and getting the house cleaned back up," he said.
"What I thought was smoke was actually stuff from the chimney after coming into the sitting room so I've cleaned that up. I got my alarm fixed today and I got the chimney that was looking a bit dangerous taken down first thing this morning.
"I haven't been sleeping properly. I had about four hours of sleep or something last night. Every little crack I heard in the house I thought was the chimney coming down."
To donate to the fundraiser for Derek's house, click here.
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