'Catastrophic' tornado in Barrie, Ont. injures eight people, damages multiple homes
Eight people were injured, four seriously, when a tornado ripped through a Barrie, Ont., neighbourhood Thursday afternoon, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake.
During a press conference Thursday evening, Barrie Mayor Jeff Lehman said there were so far no fatalities.
"Everybody is accounted for, but it is early yet," he said.
Fire officials said crews were checking "under every bed and behind every door" to ensure no one was trapped in the rubble.
Officials said roughly 20 homes were damaged, and "about three or four" would have to be rebuilt.
Early Thursday afternoon, an Environment Canada tornado warning blasted over the airwaves and to cell phones as the skies darkened over the south end of the city and heavy rain fell.
Barrie resident Sheldon Murphy said they were in the kitchen when the warnings sounded.
"We saw stuff starting to fly around in the air, spinning. That's when we got everyone down in the basement. Then five minutes later, it started to clear up."
Environment Canada meteorologist Steven Flisfeder confirmed it was a tornado that touched down later in the day.
"At this time, based on images and videos, we can confirm that it was a tornado."
The storm lasted roughly 10 to 15 minutes and was followed by sirens as emergency crews headed to the Mapleview Drive and Prince William Way area.
Barrie police said thousands were without power as crews worked to repair hydro lines.
"It looks very symbolic, unfortunately, to a war zone in places," said Barrie police spokesperson Peter Leon. "The damage is catastrophic. It is significant, and it is major."
A severe storm ripped through a Barrie, Ont. neighbourhood on Thurs. July 15, 2021. (Viewer image/Edward Loveless)
Lehman said the day's events brought him back to when a tornado hit the Allandale area in the 80s.
"I'm sure that people who lived through it in 1985, they can't believe, like I, that here we are dealing with another serious tornado in the city of Barrie.
But I can't tell you how incredible it is that nobody has been killed, and I hope that as all the secondary searches are completed, and the patients are treated at the hospital, that it continues to be the case. This certainly could have been a much more serious disaster," Lehman said.
Patients are being treated at Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH).
The Barrie hospital's president and CEO, Janice Skot, said staff and physicians were on standby "should extra resources be required."
Additionally, Simcoe County Paramedics provided triage at Saint Gabriel the Archangel Catholic School to anyone injured in the storm.
Police are urging anyone who doesn't live in the area to avoid it.
Premier Doug Ford posted to social media expressing his sympathy for those impacted by the storm.
"My thoughts are with everyone in Barrie and Innisfil affected by the severe weather today. A big thank you to our first responders that are currently on the ground helping the situation. Please stay safe everyone!"
Environment Canada said it would send a team to survey the storm damage in Barrie.
Barrie police have set up a central phone line for anyone in need of assistance, call 705-728-8442.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.