Plasma photograph
© Getty ImagesPlasma photographed in conditions similar to ball lightning.
A Paignton pensioner has described the moment when a glowing ball of lightning passed through his apartment as he sat and watched it in terror. After a 'shattering' bang at the height of a thunderstorm over the town, the blue ball of plasma came through his window, crossed his lounge and passed through his patio doors.

The lighting 'strike' did not leave a mark behind.

"It frightened the life out of me," said 71-year-old Michael Dodd. "It is difficult to take in what actually happened."

The incident happened on Friday afternoon when storms swept across South Devon. There were several lightning strikes in the Paignton area, including the one that hit Mr Dodd's apartment building in Alta Vista Road, overlooking Goodrington beach.

Torrential rain during the afternoon brought flooding to roads and low-lying properties in the town.

Mr Dodd said: "I was sitting in the lounge when I heard an almighty bang. I thought it was my cooker exploding or something like that.

"Then a bright blue ball came through my window, moved across in front of me, then went out through the glass patio door. It took about a second and a half.

"It had an orange tail to it. I thought I was seeing things. I thought I was going round the bend, but I know what I saw. The bang was absolutely unbelievable and ball was like something out of a sci-fi film."


Mr Dodd said his wife Margaret was in the kitchen of the apartment at the time and did not see the phenomenon.

Neighbour Wendy Holmes did see the ball lightning as it crossed the car park of the Bosun's Point luxury retirement apartments development where she and Mr Dodd live.

She said: "It came with a huge clap of thunder, and it has done quite a lot of damage to the electrics. The electrics in the lifts have been burned out, and all the Sky TV boxes have been damaged.

"It was like a massive blue ball followed by a tail. I saw it going across the car park. It came with such a horrendous explosion. I rushed out onto the balcony to see what had happened."


One of the earliest reports of ball lighting came during the Great Thunderstorm at Widecombe-in-the-Moor in October 1638. Four people died and approximately 60 were injured when, during a severe storm, an eight-foot ball of fire was described as striking and entering the church. Large stones from the church walls were hurled into the ground and through large wooden beams. The ball of fire allegedly smashed the pews and many windows, and filled the church with a foul sulphurous odour and dark, thick smoke.

The ball of fire reportedly divided into two segments, one exiting through a window by smashing it open, the other disappearing somewhere inside the church.

The explanation at the time, because of the fire and sulphur smell, was that the ball of fire was the devil. Later, some people blamed the entire incident on two people who had been playing cards in the pew during the sermon.

As far as science is concerned, ball lightning remains unexplained. Scientists often treat accounts of ball lightning with scepticism and the only descriptions of the phenomenon come from people like the residents of Bosun's Point who have actually seen it.

Fighter pilots who witnessed a similar phenomenon during World War Two coined the phrase 'Foo Fighters' to describe the balls of light.