Lightning: what objects can attract it to your home?

The storms are back in France, and they promise to be more and more violent as summer approaches.

Thursday, June 2 in the morning, a particularly intense storm broke out in the department of Isère, where lightning fell on the roof of a house in Saint-Victor-de-Morestel, causing a devastating fire. The roof of the apartment burst into flames. Fortunately, the inhabitants were able to be evacuated and no injuries were reported. But this incident is far from being an isolated case.

According to INERIS (National Institute for the Industrial Environment and Risks), France experiences approximately 2,000,000 lightning strikes each year, causing 20,000 claims including 15,000 fires.

And even if we feel safe in our homes during storms, we must keep in mind that lightning can pass through materials such as glass and brick, and interfere inside your home.

So how do you protect yourself against it at home? In our slideshow, discover the 8 objects in your home that can attract lightning and cause serious damage.

Whether you are inside or outside, you are not immune to a lightning strike when the storm is brewing, and it can be fatal.

“On average, there are around twenty fatal cases per year, and between 100 and 200 people struck down (burns, amnesia, psychic sequelae, N.D.L.R.). Sometimes people can be hit by ricochet, for example, when the person first touches a tree or a metal structure under which they have inadvertently taken refuge”, explained the forecaster Frédéric Decker to the magazine Ca m’intrigues.

To limit the risks, it is essential to take shelter and stay away from electrical appliances (ideally unplugged) and metal objects or water.

If, however, you cannot take shelter at the moment, “You must squat on the ground or curl up in a fetal position. Standing or even lying down is dangerous. If the limbs are deployed, this promotes electrical circulation between the legs or arms (we always have a little electricity in us). Above all, we must not move or run: by running, we create a kind of electric current in us. Of course, you have to avoid having metal objects with you” still recommends Frédéric Decker.

To best protect your home in the event of thunderstorms, you can always install a lightning arrester or a lightning conductor.