chriscam@observer-reporter.com
A storm packing high winds ripped off portions of a barn and pulled down trees near Avella Tuesday night.
Avella fire Chief Eric Temple said the storm moved through about 7:30 p.m. The winds packed a punch as they blew down trees.
"It was pretty festive," he said. Damage from the storm kept him busy for two hours.
One tree came down with electrical wires, landing across a vehicle on Campground Road. There was a man inside the vehicle and he told firefighters he may have been knocked unconscious because he couldn't remember how long he had been in the vehicle.
Temple did not know the man's name but said he was uninjured.
"He was lucky, very lucky," Temple said.
The wind also ripped off part of a barn that had been rebuilt on Robert Briggs' property on Washington Pike. Briggs lost his dairy barn and most of his herd to fire in February and had just rebuilt the structure.
"That poor guy. He can't get a break," Temple said, noting that the roof to the barn was completed just last weekend.
However, Temple believes the structure can be salvaged.
Another tree came down in Cross Creek Township and firefighters with Slovan Fire Department responded to that call.
A meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said there was no microburst or indication of anything other than just a spring thunderstorm moving through the area. He did note, however, that winds were between 30 and 35 miles per hour in some cases and those were strong enough to do damage.
The Washington County 911 center reported the thunderstorm was concentrated in Independence Township with other areas of Washington County experiencing only light rain. Temple said his mother, who lives in West Middletown, reported getting only sprinkles.