Residents forced to evacuate after crane hit by lightning collapses

More than 30 residents from a nearby unit block were forced to evacuate the area, several of which required emergency accommodation.

Residents in Sydney’s west were forced to evacuate their homes on Wednesday afternoon after a crane hit by lightning partially collapsed.

Thunderstorms and wild weather lashed the city, while the crane was struck by lightning at about 4.15pm in Fairfield.

35 people were evacuated from a 16-unit block in The Crescent, several of which required emergency accommodation.

The crane partially collapsed after it was struck by lightning on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: 7 News

About 20 people were evacuated from a nearby unit block following the incident. Picture: Facebook

The incident caused major delays on train lines on Wednesday afternoon, with services halted between Granville and Canley Vale.

Images of the crane showed it appeared to have collapsed in the middle, causing the top half to hang down towards the ground.

Crews worked to dismantle the crane on Thursday morning, removing it from the site at about 3.30am.

Residents in Queensland, Victoria and NSW were warned by the Bureau of Meteorology to brace for severe storms on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.

The bureau detected severe thunderstorms just before 4.30pm near Hornsby, Parramatta and Olympic Park where up to 35mm of rain was forecast.

Originally published as Residents forced to evacuate after crane hit by lightning collapses