(Hillsdale) No injuries were reported when a tree fell on a home on Westwood Street, in the city of Hillsdale, Monday afternoon.
Hillsdale City firefighters were dispatched to the home, at the height of a late-afternoon thunderstorm, around 5:30 pm. Deputy Fire Chief Mark Hawkins tells WCSR News, residents of the home escaped without injury. The tree caused considerable structural damage. Hawkins said crews from Michigan Gas Utilities and the Hillsdale Board of Public Utilities responded quickly to shut down gas, electrical and water service to the home. Firefighters remained on the scene for about an hour to assist the family in safely removing necessities from the house, which was left uninhabitable.
Hillsdale County Emergency Management & 9-1-1 Director Thomas Whitaker told WCSR News, the incident was one of more than 170 calls for service that were received by Hillsdale County Central Dispatch–most of the calls came during a 30-minute period in the 5:00 o’clock hour.
There were a total of 75 reports of trees down and 77 reports of wires down…Whitaker said the storm brought out the best in area residents–He said, as he was making the rounds to assess the damage, he saw neighbors and strangers helping each other in the immediate aftermath of the storm.
