A storage building attached to the Seventh-Day Adventist Op Shop in Mullumbimby was struck by lightning during Monday night’s wild storms.
The lightning caused a fire in the upper floor, where winter wear was being stored, setting fire to the garments.
The fire broke out at 2.30am and firefighters took just over 45 minutes to get it under control.
Echonetdaily photographer Jeff Dawson, who was on site yesterday morning, said the majority of the damage appeared to be to the contents, with mostly water damage to the building itself.
Jeff said, ‘One of the guys travelling to fight the fire said he saw lightning strike the ground at a reserve near the edge of town’.
Another Echonetdaily staffer who lives close to the church said after the lighting struck ‘the roof of our house rang like a gong’.
Meanwhile, a clean-up is underway at Maclean after a violent storm at around 6pm last night.
Trees were uprooted and nearby Yamba recorded 78mm of rain.
