A huge explosion was spotted in Oxford this evening after lightning struck a gas tank.

The reaction turned the sky bright orange as people from all over the city reported seeing a sudden flash.

Severn Trent Green Power confirmed that at around 7.20 this evening, a digester tank at its Cassington AD facility near Yarnton was struck by lightning.

This caused the biogas inside to ignite, it said.

The Met Office had issued a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms in Oxford this evening.

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One householder Katty, whose surname has not been disclosed, said: “The lights all flickered in the house and the sky lit up.”

Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service have been contacted for comment by Express.co.uk.

A digester is a large tank where biological reactions are caused, typially to cause decomposition or to extract essential components – a process which can cause biogas.

The lightning strike then ignited the biogas, causing the explosion.

Many reported hearing a loud “bang”, while others shared videos showed flames lighting up the sky and billowing into the night.

Another person said: “Anybody else in Oxford just see that fireball? Loud explosion and then the sky just did this?” while a third said: “The sky was glowing for about two minutes then it just disappeared”

Some reported they experienced a momentary loss of power shortly after the explosion.

A spokesperson for Severn Trent Power Company said: “Severn Trent Green Power can confirm that at around 7.20 this evening, a digester tank at its Cassington AD facility near Yarnton, Oxfordshire, was struck by lightning resulting in the biogas within that tank igniting.

“We are working with the emergency services to secure the site and will provide further comments in due course.”

Thames Valley Police added: “Our officers are currently at the scene of a fire at a waste plant near Yarnton, Oxfordshire. It is believed that lightning struck gas containers at the site during bad weather this evening, causing a large fire.”

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Oxfordshire is among the dozens of locations in the UK under a yellow weather warning for thunderstorms from the Met Office.

The weather agency said: “Thunderstorms with frequent lightning have already affected parts of the warning area, these continuing into the evening in places.

“An increasing risk of longer-lasting intense downpours too, especially later this evening and further east across the warning area, for example towards south Lincolnshire and East Anglia.

“These storms are likely to be focused in relatively narrow bands, so some places will miss the worst, while a few locations might catch 25-50 mm of rain within 2 or 3 hours, along with frequent lightning and gusty winds.”

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