Marylou Ward and her husband received a huge shock when lightning hit their septic tank and caused their toilet to burst!
The couple from Florida were lying in bed at their home in Port Charlotte when a bolt of lightning struck their septic tank and they heard a loud ‘boom’ from their bathroom.
Speaking about the incident, Ward told WFLA: “It was the loudest noise I’ve ever heard. We got out of bed and…the toilet was laying on the floor.”
When they checked their bathroom, they found that their toilet had shattered into pieces. They also smelled smoke and discovered their septic tank in the garden steaming.
Ward contacted local firm A-1 Affordable Plumbing to help remove the exploded bathroom.
According to the company, the lighting had hit close to the septic tank, which triggered a build-up of methane gas in the pipes (caused by years of fecal matter passing through) and caused the toilet to explode.
They also said such incidents are very rare but the woman says she and her husband simply feel lucky to have survived without any injuries.
“I’m just glad none of us were on the toilet,” she expressed. “That’s the main thing.”
Aside from their bathroom, the storm also destroyed their window and yard decorations.
An A-1 plumber shared on Facebook: “The toilet exploded in homeowners’ master bathroom sending porcelain airborne like a missile (the porcelain penetrated into wall). Most likely all sewer piping will need to be replaced and septic tank.)
“Luckily no one was hurt! Scheduling a camera inspection this week to see how much sanitary pipe needs to be replaced!!”
John Jesenius, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration lightning expert, said that lightning can strike you if you are in the shower, bath or toilet.
“There have been documented incidents of people injured on toilets,” he told The Charlotte Observer. “It [lightning] went through the pipes and through the water. If lightning strikes your home, it often finds its way into the plumbing.”
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