Lightning Sparked Fires, Eurostar Train Affected

Lightning strikes have sparked a series of fires in the South East, leading to travel disruption on domestic and international trains.
Four Eurostar trains were halted on the line after a fire broke out near the UK entrance to the Channel Tunnel on Thursday evening.

One train was forced to return to London, while three others arrived at St Pancras after major delays. All of the trains arrived back at St Pancras by 1.40am.
Nobody was injured in the blaze and there was no damage to the track.
Pierre Delalande from Eurostar said customers were offered taxis and hotels where necessary.
"Four trains were affected - two from Paris to London, one from Brussels to London and one from London to Paris.
"The only one that didn't make it was London to Paris because of a delay after the lightning, so went back to London."

Four Eurostar trains were delayed by the fires

A full service is expected to resume on Friday morning.
Southeastern train services were also disrupted due to lightning strikes.
A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters had been called to a "number of incidents" in the Folkestone and Dover areas.

"Crews have been fighting a fire in an electrical substation at the Dollands Moore Freight Depot in Folkestone," he said.
"They were also in attendance to deal with a second incident in an isolation control building in Sandling Road, Folkestone."
A house in Dover was also struck by lightning, with reports the roof and chimney stack were alight.


Skynews