Lightning bolt hits Shenyang, China
© CCTVFootage released by state broadcaster CCTV shows a loud bang rocking the Chinese city of Shenyang today before a blaze broke out seconds after, leaving residents in shock
A lightning bolt has ignited a massive fireball over a Chinese city after it struck high-voltage power lines.

Footage shows a loud bang rocking the city of Shenyang today before a blaze broke out seconds after, leaving residents in shock.

The blast occurred near several tower blocks but caused no casualties, according to the country's state media.

The event took place during the evening rush hour in the Tiexi District of Shenyang, the provincial capital of Liaoning, reported state broadcaster CCTV.

A flash of lightning hit the transmission lines nearly a residential compound, sparking a fire on the grass underneath.

The incident did not cause any damage to the public facility or interrupt the local electrical services, the outlet claimed.



Shenyang, a city of 8million in north-eastern China, has been battered by torrential downpours today.

At nearly 11pm local time, the city's meteorological bureau declared a red alert for rainstorms, the highest level in China's four-tier colour-coded weather warning system.

Shenyang lightning fireball
© CCTVMotorists during the evening rush hour were shocked by the massive fireball which broke out near a residential compound in the Tiexi District of Shenyang, a city of around 8 million people
The warning was followed by an orange alert, the second-highest level, around 15 minutes later.

The city was hit by heavy rainfall of up to 70.1 millimetres per hour between 3pm to 8pm today, the local government said.

Officials activated the second-highest level of alert for flood control in the city as a response to the adverse weather.