New Zealand: Petrol Station Hit by Lightning

The direct hit on the station closed down the pumps and computer system, so Mr Castle had to drive to Hawera on a near-empty tank. Jollene Hunt, one of the BP attendants working at the time of the strike, said her first reaction when all the power went down at the station was "Oh, bugger". Ms Hunt said the lightning took all the computers down and they had no power for an hour-and-a-half. The station couldn't work without the use of its computers, she said.

As a fire precaution the attendants had to clear the forecourt and turn off the pumps. "With the first crack, the power went down and by the second we were out on the forecourt clearing it and taking the pumps down."

New Plymouth fire safety officer Peter Gallagher said people had little to fear from a lightning strike at a petrol station. "The chance of fire ignition in the tanks is remote, there is a higher chance the discharge of electrical current will ignite the insulation of the wire," Mr Gallagher said. He said electrical spot fires would be more likely.

PetrolWorld 050808  Local Media