A COUPLE from Ferwig say they were lucky to have been away from home when their house was struck by lightning and went up in flames.

Graham and Becky Greenshields from Ferwig, near Cardigan, were shopping when their home was hit on Sunday.

Firefighters were called out at 1.10pm.

Mary-Jane Horgan, a neighbour living opposite the couple, said: “At about one o’clock there was what can only be described as an almighty explosion.

"I ran outside because I thought that my house had been hit by something. I then saw that it was Graham's that had been hit.

"There was a hole in the roof and as I yelled to my lodger it burst into flames.

"The fire service were so good, they’ve lost a lot of their belongings but the fire crew did manage to saw some pictures, clothes and their wedding album.”

Tearfully she added: “I was just so worried that they were in the house and that something could have happened to them.”

The fire service said that the first floor and roof space were affected by the fire, with fire crews arriving on the scene from across three counties. The last crew left the scene at about 9.30pm.

Mr Greenshields said: “We had been to church in Bethlehem that day and gone to do a bit of shopping when we got a call from our sister-in-law telling us what had happened.

“We just feel so lucky no one was hurt and my family is safe. It’s only material possessions that we have lost and they can be replaced.

"After seeing on the news last night about the two that died in Brecon Beacons it made us realise how lucky we really were.

“I would like to thank all the friends, family and community for their support. I’d also like to thank the firer service for all their work, they really went above and beyond."