A lightning strike has caused a huge gas explosion at a food waste recycling plant in Oxfordshire.
Witnesses reported seeing a fireball light up the night sky after the blast at the Severn Trent Green Power Plant at Cassington, north of Oxford.
The company said the strike caused one of its biogas tanks to explode at about 19:20 BST.
It said nobody had been injured and staff were working with the emergency services to secure the site.
Six fire engines and 40 firefighters have been deployed to the plant, which processes food waste turning into biogas.
Oxfordshire County Council said crews were using an aerial appliance and water tank as they fought the flames.
The recycling plant said it was working with emergency services to secure the site.
Residents have reported power outages in Witney, Burford, Chipping Norton and Milton-under-Wychwood.
Jack Frowde, 34, from Oxford, who works at Oxford University, said: “I was sitting in my kitchen when the whole room lit up with a brilliant white light, then followed by a huge crack which sounded like really heavy thunder.
“I looked out of the kitchen window and it was as if the sky was pulsating orange.
“I ran to the back to capture the orange glow as it faded after about 20 seconds.”
Thames Valley Police said officers were also at the scene.
In a statement, the force added: “It is believed that lightning struck gas containers at the site during bad weather this evening, causing a large fire.”
