Storms wreak havoc in region

Severe thunderstorms toppled trees, knocked out power, sparked lightning-related fires and caused at least one car accident Wednesday in the Dan River Region.

WSLS meteorologist Patrick McKee said two lines of storms swept through the Danville area between 4:30 and 6 p.m.

A Blairs man was struck by lightning on Mount View Lane shortly after 4:30 p.m.

Blairs Fire & Rescue EMT/EMS Lt. Tony Allocca said the man was talking on his phone when he was struck.

The victim suffered burns on his ear and arm, but was conscious and talking, Allocca said.

He said the victim was uncertain about details of the event, and could not remember if he was indoors or outside when he was struck.

The man was transported to Danville Regional Medical Center for treatment.

In Danville, a tree fell on a house in the 1400 block of Aspen Street, according to Lt. Mike Mondul, spokesman for the Danville Police Department.

Traffic lights were out at South Main Street at Kemper Road and North Main Street at River Street, and power was out in several areas around the city.

Kevin Martin, key accounts manager for Danville Utilities, said there were more outages on the western part of the city’s service territory and that the Cyberpark was without power during the storm.

Danville Police Capt. Barry Creasy said there were no weather-related car accidents reported in the city, but one lane of U.S. 29 in Blairs was temporarily closed due to a single-car accident.

The vehicle flipped onto its side in the northbound right-hand lane of U.S. 29 near R&L Smith Drive.

In Pittsylvania County, the storm caused so many problems that Emergency Services Director Jim Davis had to grab a headset to answer calls.

The E-911 Center received calls from several areas in the southern end of the county and some parts of the northern end.

Davis said this was not a typical thunderstorm.

“We had stuff going on everywhere,” he said.

People were reporting downed trees and power lines, as well as lightning strikes.

Volunteer fire and rescue departments in the county were kept busy throughout the storm.

The Ringgold Volunteer Fire Department responded to a structure fire caused by lightning at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Fire Chief Mike Neal said a storage building/garage at 287 Deerfield Drive was hit by lightning and burst into flames.

“It burned fast,” Neal said. “It was rolling when we got there.”

A 1965 Mustang being restored by owner Fredrick Crihfield was in the building and was destroyed by the fire, he said.

Neal said the building also was destroyed.

The fire took close to two hours to fully extinguish, the fire chief said.

Ringgold responded to the blaze with three trucks and 11 firefighters, and Kentuck Volunteer Fire Department sent a tanker and a pumper truck.

Neal said both departments were kept busy during the storm, which knocked out power and toppled trees in the area.

The Mount Hermon Volunteer Fire Department also stayed busy during the storm, according to Fire Chief Paul Eastridge.

At 4:43 p.m., firefighters responded to a fire at 269 Rocking Chair Lane.

Eastridge said lightning struck and “ran through the house in some manner,” causing a fire in the dryer.

He said there wasn’t structural damage, but the home did suffer smoke damage and needed to be ventilated.

The residents will be without power until Danville Utilities can check the wiring, he said.

At 5:08 p.m., another crew from Mount Hermon responded to a call about a tree being struck by lightning. When firefighters arrived at 165 West Witt Road, they found a large tree split down the trunk and still smoldering, officials said.

They extinguished the fire and pulled the part of the tree that had fallen in the road out of the way.

• Contact Denice Thibodeau at or (434) 791-7985.

• Staff writers Bernard Baker and John R. Crane contributed to this report.