Severe storms leave behind downed trees, power outages in Philadelphia region

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Severe storms brought down trees and knocked out power across the Philadelphia region on Tuesday night, and possibly caused an apartment fire that left several people displaced in South Jersey.

Now, clean-up is underway across the area after the wild weather brought down trees and wires.

Tree damage can be seen near the Conshohocken home of Richard Miskinis, where he's lived for nearly 50 years. As the storm brewed Tuesday night, he rushed to his porch to stow his cushions, some of which were already scattered on the lawn.

"I jumped down and got those and then there was a big crash and a flash, and this come down and hit the power line," he described. "It's a mess. I'm looking for electricity."

A tree fell on top of a Starbucks store at Academy Road and Grant Avenue in Northeast Philadelphia.

A short distance away, also on Grant Avenue, a utility pole came down, along with more trees.

Chopper 6 spotted a lot of storm damage in Coatesville, Chester County.

A large tree fell on top of a home on the 100 block of West Clearview Street.

In New Castle County, two people were rushed to the hospital after a tree fell onto a house.

It happened just before 9 p.m. at a home on Durboraw Road in Wilmington, Delaware.

Authorities responded after severe storms in the area caused a tree to fall into an occupied home.

Two people were transported to Christiana Hospital in unknown conditions, officials say.

No further information on this incident has been released.

In Downington, Chester County, another tree also fell onto a home. It happened at a residence on Mulligan Court.

No injuries were reported in that incident.

There were also evacuations at the senior independent living community in West Norristown. Strong storms rolled through there around 8 p.m. on Tuesday.

A tree went down and knocked out power to the Jefferson Apartments on the 1500 block of West Marshall Street. The backup generator provided emergency lighting but not air conditioning in the units, and there was concern for the residents' safety.

"We sent the police over there because we heard a couple ambulance calls for low oxygen. The canisters - they weren't plugged in," said Mike Valyo, the deputy emergency management coordinator and fire marshal in Montgomery County.

Two buildings were evacuated.

"Evidently, we had a thunderstorm," said one of the residents. "All power went out, now they're evacuating us. I have lung issues, so I have to go someplace where there's air conditioning."

Residents of one of the buildings has since been able to return home but power was out for the night at the other.

There was also some minor storm damage in Rittenhouse Square.

A toppled tree blocked the sidewalk at 19th and Walnut Streets after the trunk snapped right in half.

In South Jersey, several residents of an apartment complex were displaced Tuesday night after a fire broke out amid the severe weather.

It happened at approximately 9:30 p.m. at the Heritage Grove Apartments in Voorhees, Camden County.

"All of a sudden, we heard a large bang, which we thought at the time was thunder," said Timothy James. "Power flashes and five minutes later we start to smell smoke."

Firefighters responded to the scene to see smoke and flames coming from the roof.

Residents reportedly told crews that the blaze was caused by a lightning strike. Authorities are still investigating whether that was the cause.

The fire was placed under control just before 10:20 p.m., officials say.

In total, six units were impacted by the flames, and nine people -- including some children -- were displaced.

No injuries were reported at the scene.

Thousands of people were without power following the storms. As of late Wednesday morning, PECO was reporting power outages for more than 59,000 customers. The majority are in Chester County.

The Red Cross is assisting those who are displaced.

Red Cross Disaster Shelters

The Red Cross has opened two disaster operations sites to help provide displaced residents shelter.

Norristown Area High School is open as an evacuation center in Montgomery County for those impacted by the power outage at the senior apartment complex. Those seeking shelter are being provided a place to rest, food, comfort items and support from the Red Cross Disaster Health Services team.

Another shelter has been opened at 600 E. Luzerne St. in Philadelphia for those impacted by the July 11 apartment complex fire on Roosevelt Blvd.

The Red Cross is also planning to open a Multi-Agency Resource Center (MARC) on Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. at Northeast Community Propel Academy at 7500 Rowland Ave. in Philadelphia. It will serve as a "one-stop" location for residents to access different services from across the city and state that may be able to assist in their recovery. For more information, visit Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management (OEM) social media.

Check out 6abc's AccuWeather Forecast for the latest on storms in your area.