Residents have described hearing a ‘‘terrific bang’’ after lightning struck a tree in Brisbane’s southern suburbs blowing out fences and sending shards of wood into neighbouring houses.

A tree ‘‘exploded’’ after being hit by lightning on Wana Street, Sunnybank, damaging as many as eight houses shortly before 2.30pm on Friday.

Damage from a tree that "exploded" after a lightning strike in Sunnybank on Friday afternoon.

‘‘We did hear a terrific bang, then we lost our power,’’ resident Margaret Johnson said.

Barbara Walker said she had never heard anything like it.