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Lightning Hits Methane Gases In Woman's Septic Tank And Explodes Toilet

Lightning Hits Methane Gases In Woman's Septic Tank And Explodes Toilet

After hitting the home’s septic tank, the bolt set off a chain reaction that totally destroyed the home's pipes and toilet

Jess Hardiman

Jess Hardiman

While lightning looks pretty terrifying, for most of us it'll never get close enough to pose any particular problem.

However, one woman in America got the shock of her life when her septic tank got hit by lightning on Sunday morning - prompting her toilet to shatter across her bathroom.

Marylou Ward lives in Port Charlotte, Florida, which is an area that's recently been battered by heavy rains and thunderstorms.

She says when the lightning struck it was the loudest sound she'd ever heard, as the bolt hit the home's septic tank and set off a chain reaction that totally destroyed their pipes and toilet.

The toilet exploded after the septic tank was hit by lightning.
WINK News

A plumber told Marylou and her husband that the lightning had hit the methane gases from faecal matter built up in their pipes.

"I'm just glad none of us were on the toilet," Ward told WINK News. "That's the main thing."

She makes a very, very good point.

While thankfully nobody was hurt in the freak weather incident, the house itself hasn't been quite so lucky.

Not only do Marylou and her husband no longer have a bog, their indoor plumbing is also completely destroyed, as is the septic tank.

At one point she even thought the house was on fire, concerned by a sudden stench of smoke.

Marylou Ward.
WINK News

"We smelled smoke and I looked outside," Marylou said. "It was the smoke from the septic tank that was coming."

Marylou didn't find any fire, but soon realised the extensive damage the lightning had caused when it struck.

She said: "We come in here and the toilet was laying on the floor. There's all pieces everywhere. Pieces everywhere.

"It used to be our toilet... We have nothing now."

According to WINK, even 24 hours later, there were still many visible damages to the Port Charlotte home, both inside and outside of the house.

Burnt grass outside their home.
WINK News

Along with the toilet-related destruction, the master bedroom window also shattered. There's burnt grass around the septic tank and the couple are also still finding pieces of broken garden decorations strewn throughout the property and even in the street.

Marylou's neighbour, Charles Allen, added: "It just did all of that damage and exploded things into the road and so on in half a second."

Mind you, as Marylou said, while the mess and destruction must be frustrating for locals, at least no one was sitting on the throne at the time. That would have been painful.

Featured Image Credit: WINK News

Topics: Weather, News, US News