Storms moving through North Texas overnight Tuesday had fire departments racing to respond to reports of damage and collapsed buildings throughout the region.
Severe thunderstorm and tornado warning were in place as winds with gusts of up to 60 mph blew through areas such as Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington, Texas, according to the National Weather Service.
The damage they left behind is significant. The Arlington Fire Department is aware of at least seven reported collapses from the storm, said Lt. Richard Fegan. The Emergency Operation Center has been activated to respond to all of the reports.
One of the calls came from a Burger Box restaurant, where a drive through awning fell and trapped a truck and its occupants, Fegan said.
No one inside was injured, he said.
A witness told CBSDFW that the collapsed happened suddenly as it was raining.
Patrick Harris was eating at a restaurant nearby when he saw the collapse.
“I was sitting out there ordering double meat cheeseburgers and ice cream,” he told CNN affiliate CBSDFW. “All of a sudden it crashed down on them. I’ve never seen nothing like that before.”
But the damage extended all over the city.
Three people were transported to hospitals with minor injuries, Fegan said. And 75 families from three apartment complexes have been displaced by the storm.
Across the state, 26,419 customers were without power overnight, according to PowerOutages.us.
Utility companies Atmos and Oncor have been responding to downed power lines and gas issues, and the Red Cross has been on scene with first responders, Fegan said.
