A sudden thunderstorm that hit Rotorua on Thursday night resulted in a flood of call-outs for firefighters in the city and nearby communities.
The Fire Service were alerted to flooding-related emergencies in the suburbs of Hillcrest, Pukehangi, Sunnybrook, Whakarewarewa, Pomare and Springfield shortly before 8pm.
Lightning strikes knocked out power in Ngongotaha and some parts of Rotorua. Traffic lights in some parts of the city were also affected.
One car was trapped by floodwaters at an intersection, and the occupant inside had to be assisted by firefighters to get out of the vehicle.
Fire Service northern communication shift manager Paul Radden said crews from the Rotorua, Ngongotaha and Mamaku fire stations attended numerous incidents, including a number of fire alarms that were triggered by the lightning storm.
It was a pretty concentrated period of rainfall, but it was all over within an hour, Radden said.
