BOLT FROM THE BLUE: Senior Palmerston North firefighter Nick Pine and his family thought an aeroplane had crashed into their home when it was struck by lightning, causing a massive bang and destroying wiring in the home.

It was like a scene from Poltergeist as a deafening crash hit a Palmerston North house, plunging it into darkness, and the door bell started ringing on its own.

As the house quickly filled with a burning smell, senior Palmerston North firefighter Nick Pine snapped out of his fear and into safety mode, realising his house had been struck by lightning, not invaded by ghosts on Sunday night.

His wife Sharon screamed and knocked over her drink as the house shook from the force of the strike. She called to her two children, Laura, 10 and Amy, 8.

"I thought the house was going to crumble on top of us, the bang was so loud I thought the world was coming to an end," she said.

Mr Pine ushered the family to the door before going back in to check the roof was not on fire.

The lightning had struck the television aerial.

His colleagues at the Milson Fire Station quickly arrived and the all-clear was soon given, with no flames, just a strong smell from the smouldered cables.

The house still smelled of burnt wiring yesterday as the family assessed the damage.

The television is still not working at the Tennyson Ave house, the internet has been completely wiped out with no icons appearing on the computer screen, they cannot adjust the hot water in the house, and the electronic garage door is fried and will not open.

Mrs Pine said the sound of the bang was still ringing in her ears.

She and her husband had been on the couch watching a movie when they saw a blue light flash through the partly-opened curtains at about 9.30pm.

They both leapt off the couch as an almighty bang crashed outside.

Mr Pine said it was so loud he initially thought an aeroplane had hit the house.

"It was the loudest sound I've ever heard, it sounded like an explosion."

The car tyres and petrol tanks he had seen explode in his nine years in the Fire Service were nothing compared to the sound, he said.

Adrenalin kept the jumpy household up for the rest of the night, with Mr Pine on alert to make sure the cables did not spark.

Metservice forecaster Heath Gullery said the Pines' house was the only report of a home being struck by lightning over the turbulent long weekend.

Mr Pine said he thought now was probably a good time to go and buy a Lotto ticket.

"I was saying to the guys at work, I might start going to church now."