Severe thunderstorm causes wind damage and sparks small fires

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. – The cleanup is still underway, after a severe storm rolled across the valley, bringing high winds, lightning, and rain on Monday night.

In Eagle Point, a large tree was uprooted and toppled over in a resident’s backyard.

The homeowner, a retired firefighter, believes it happened after a micro burst of downward wind.

Fortunately, no one was injured and the damage was minimal.

Photo by Dennis Mihocko

In Medford, a homeowner’s awning was ripped from it’s foundation and picked up into the air by an extreme gust of wind.

It then landed on the roof.

Homeowner, Ron Kohl said, “I hear this great big ‘boom’ on the roof. When I get out here, I don’t have an awning. My awning is rated for 125 miles per hour wind and it took it total airborne, all the way up to the, where you see it on the roof.”

Kohl described the sound of the wind as like that of a freight train.

Neighbors later had to help him remove the awning from his roof.

According to Liv Stecker with the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, lightning from the storm caused three quarter-acre fires.

Crews and helicopters responded and recon teams were sent to make sure no other fires started.

 

 

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NBC5 News Reporter Ethan Quin is an Emmy-nominated multi-media journalist. He grew up in Northern California and has worked and lived across the country as a photographer and editor. Ethan graduated from Full Sale University with a BS in Film Studies. He was a photojournalist at WFMZ-TV, Allentown, PA. He’s also been a producer, documentary film maker and wildlife photographer. Ethan loves hiking, movies and playing piano and guitar.
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