lightning rocked two neighbourhoods causing damage and a blackout.

The Bermuda Electric Light Company reported that 18 homes in the Lover's Lane area of Paget lost power for several hours after three transformers were zapped by lightning around 3 p.m. yesterday.

At presstime, Belco crews were working into the night to repair the damage.

And condo residents at "The Grove'' in Flatts had to clean up their yard after their building was struck by a bolt that fried at least one television and VCR combo.

"I have never been in a storm like that before and to be honest I hope to never again experience it,'' resident Judith Swain said. "There were two loud thunderclaps and then a very loud lightning strike. It was actually quite scary.'' Mrs. Swain said she learned of the direct hit to a chimney when she saw debris falling in the yard.

"My first reaction was that someone was throwing the rocks and wood in the yard,'' she said, adding that only after neighbours gathered did it become clear what had caused the damage.

Neighbour Eileen Amondson said she was about to unplug her TV and VCR when moments after a lightning flash outside, the appliances began to smoke.

"We were lucky that it was only two things,'' she said. "There were two loud cracks and I was bending down to unplug them.

And around 600 Bermuda Telephone Company customers from Devonshire's Loyal Hill to Flatts and the fringes of Hamilton were cut off.

A BTC spokeswoman said crews were last night working to restore service -- thought to have been cut off by a lightning strike -- and that it was hoped to have all the phones working by this morning.

Last night the fire and Police reported they had not been called out on any storm-related incidents.

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