Aug 5, 2010 By Rebekah Sungala 3 min read

A strong storm moved through the area Wednesday evening, downing multiple power lines and trees and even blowing the roof off one home. Fayette County firefighters were called to man their stations as the storm made its way through the area around 5:30 p.m., bringing with it destructive winds in excess of 70 mph.

Firefighters were forced to use chain saws to cut their way through fallen trees that covered the roadways in order to arrive at the Luzerne Township home where the roof had completely blown off.

The mobile home, located on Palmar Adah Road, sustained serious structural damage but everyone was able to make it out of the structure uninjured, firefighters said.

Lightning from the storm also sparked several fires throughout the area as bolts of lightning struck houses, businesses and utility poles.

In Uniontown, a home located at 38 S. Mount Vernon Ave. caught fire after being hit by lighting. Uniontown Fire Department responded to the scene and was able to contain the fire, with the majority of damage occurring in the attic.

Firefighters who were fighting the blaze were forced off the roof of the home as a second round of lightning began to strike nearby.

Fayette County 911 said “hundreds” of calls reporting downed wires and trees, some on homes, were received throughout the county.

In Perryopolis Borough, a traffic light fell at the intersection of Hancock and Liberty streets and downed power lines were reported as well.

Power outages also caused several traffic lights to quit working and caused many businesses without electricity to temporarily close.

Allegheny Power reported 17,097 customers in Fayette County were without power as a result of the storm. Outages were reported throughout the county, with the majority occurring in the Brownsville, Menallen Township and Uniontown areas.

Allegheny Power reported 18,438 customers were without power in Washington County, and 4,166 customers without power in Greene County.

The storm also shut down some activities at the Fayette County Fairgrounds, causing the monster truck and two-wheel drive quad races scheduled to occur in the outdoor arena to be cancelled.

Heavy lightning and strong wind also caused the carnival portion of the fair to temporarily close. Indoor activities still occurred, and no major damage at the fairgrounds or injuries were reported.

The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh said a line of storms extending 19 miles long was responsible for Wednesday’s damage. The storm moved east at a pace of 50 mph and produced quarter size hail in some places, according to meteorologists.