Close calls in Petrolia during wicked storm

There were a number of close calls but no known injuries after a wicked storm ripped through Petrolia Wednesday night.

Around 7:20 pm, a rainstorm with high winds blew into the area toppling trees and knocking out power. Residents in Petrolia, Watford, Alvinston and Oil Springs were without power for about three hours.

Petrolia Enniskillen Fire Department Chief Lawrence Swift says a woman in her car at the corner of Lorne and Queen Street had a narrow miss. She had stopped at the corner when a large tree branch crashed into the roof of her car. Swift says the woman wasn’t hurt.

One of five large trees which fell during Wednesday night’s storm in Petrolia.

And in another incident, the top of a large maple on Princess Street  snapped off and landed on the roof of a home. Swift says someone was in the room where the tree landed but no one was injured.

In all, five large trees fell onto power lines and road ways.

Swift says in another incident on Petrolia Line near Forest Road a trailer was picked up by the wind and smashed into a hydro line.

There were also reports of several hydro poles which caught fire, but when fire crews arrived on the scene, the fires were out.

Power was restored to the majority of Petrolia by 11 pm but Swift says in the Princess/Nelson Street area, where about five trees fell on power lines during the storm, it was likely the power would be back on until sometime Thursday.

– Heather Wright