Johan woke up after midnight from the heavy rain and thunder that rumbled over Gotland until Friday night.
But it did not seem so close, he said to his partner after watching how the lightning struck via an app in the phone.
- A minute after that, this is so small outside.
It was such a bang so I do not know how to describe it, says Johan.
Smashed the side window
They were walking around to unplug cables from all electrical outlets in the house when suddenly the car alarm went off.
Johan went out into the rain and looked into the car that was parked just a few meters from the house.
He then saw that it was burning inside.
- Sambon took out a fire extinguisher and I took a hammer and smashed the side window and tried to extinguish as best I could, says Johan.
The rescue service arrived at the scene immediately and was able to ensure that the car fire would not spread.
Could have been significantly worse
On Friday morning, when it was light, Johan could see how the lightning had probably crashed into a tree by the plot and somehow also reached the car.
- There is a maple right next to the car and you see traces, there are no leaves left.
And on a pine tree next to it, the bark has flown off, says Johan, who believes that the family was lucky.
- I'm very happy, it's just material things.
It could have been much worse if the lightning had been a few meters closer to the house.
- But this with being protected in a car in thunderstorms, I do not believe so much more in fact.
According to SMHI, about 1500 discharges took place over and around Gotland the night between Thursday and Friday.
A yellow warning for, among other things, "thunderstorms that can create disturbances in the electricity supply" has also been issued for the coming night, between Friday and Saturday.