The Van der Walt family had quite the ‘shock’ today (Saturday, November 18) when lightning struck a tree in their yard twice.

It was, however, the lightning-fast response of the local fire department and neighbourhood watch that saved the day. Family members and neighbours had the hosepipes and extinguishers in hand to get the fire under control.

The local fire department followed soon after and doused the fire in no time.

Luckily, no injuries were reported.

The fire did, however, damage the surrounding electric fence and blackened the walls.