BRECKNOCK TWP., Pa. – Officials say the damage happened around 10:30 Monday night as storms moved through Berks and Lancaster counties.
The Fivepointville Fire Company says members responded to the 1000 block of Beam Road in Brecknock Township, where they found a large debris field across the property.
Pieces of debris strewn around the property
Courtesy of Fivepointville Fire Company
“We definitely had a weather event of some sort. Basically, a lot of damage in our area,” said Jared Artus, assistant chief of the Fivepointville Fire Company.
Firefighters say strong winds tore through a farm.
Courtesy of Fivepointville Fire Company
“On that property there was, I believe, six different buildings that were affected,” Artus said.
Despite the destruction, everyone inside the home was safe.
“The residents were actually going into the basement as it struck… so that was one nice thing,” Artus said.
Even the animals inside the barn made it through the storm.
Cow safe among the barn debris
Courtesy of Fivepointville Fire Company
“There was 10 cows that were in the first floor… none of which were injured,” Artus said.
Officials say they believe the damage was caused by straight-line winds.
“The EMA manager for our area, for Brecknock Township, is continually doing an investigation and submitting that to the state to do further investigations just to confirm that it was a straight-line wind event. As far as we know, that’s exactly what happened,” Artus said.
Emergency crews say storms like this can be unpredictable, so you should always stay alert when severe weather moves through.