The aftermath of Friday's powerful thunderstorm continued to unfold across Essex County on Monday, as residents and crews cleared debris, repaired damage and assessed the impact of winds that battered the region. The storm took down trees and power lines, damaged buildings and left at least one farmer with a barn reduced to rubble.
Barn Fire Destroys Structure, No Horses Injured
Allen Rogers was sitting down for dinner in Colchester Friday evening when a neighbour called with news no farmer wants to hear — his horse barn was on fire. Rogers, owner of South SX Livestock in Essex, rushed over around 6:30 p.m. to find the structure fully engulfed in flames, with fire shooting through the roof and hydro lines knocked down nearby.
“When we got home the barn was fully involved,” Rogers told the Star. “I had to get my pickup truck out of there because it was right beside the barn.” Rogers watched the fire for about 20 minutes before firefighters arrived and began battling the blaze. “They were able to get after it pretty quick,” he said. “They had to start tearing the barn apart in order to get all the flames… the flames were between the walls because the barn had steel cladding on the outside and wood walls on the inside.”
Rogers said he was thankful no horses were inside the barn at the time and that no one was injured. The damage, estimated at about $90,000, was still evident Monday. Debris remained scattered across the property and the smell of smoke lingered as crews from Chipper Head Tree Service worked to remove the remains of the snapped tree trunk that contributed to the fire.
Storm Intensity Caught Festival Off Guard
Environment Canada issued an orange thunderstorm warning for Windsor-Essex around 7 p.m. Friday, warning of conditions favourable for wind gusts between 110 and 129 km/h. Strong winds were reported across the region, including in Windsor, Tecumseh, LaSalle, Amherstburg, Leamington and Lakeshore.
The storm also forced the closure of Essex Fun Fest Friday evening as organizers cited “extreme weather conditions.” Videos shared on social media showed collapsed tents and toppled portable toilets at the festival grounds. Fun Fest committee chair Joe Garon told the Star Monday the storm destroyed vendor booths and caused “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in damages to carnival production equipment.
Garon said organizers began warning attendees and vendors that heavy weather was approaching after receiving reports from LaSalle and Windsor, but the storm intensified quickly. “It came in so quick. Within three to four minutes of making the announcement it hit, and it hit hard,” Garon said. “Tents came down. All the production gear we had in the beer tent was destroyed. We had four people injured and taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.” Garon described the storm as surreal, saying its speed and intensity caught festivalgoers off guard.
