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At least six homes were evacuated Friday morning in Takoma Park, Maryland, where a huge tree fell and brought down power lines, sparking multiple fires. WTOP’s Nick Iannelli reports the tree came down on Sherman Avenue between Carroll and Maple avenues as widespread, violent storms slammed the D.C. area.
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It crushed at least one vehicle beneath it, with a mess of power lines tangled within the tree like spaghetti sticking out from the limbs and all of the branches, Iannelli reported. Montgomery County Fire Battalion Chief Jay Blake said there was a small fire inside one of the homes as well as some spot fires in the front yard. No one was injured. Blake added that “it’s gonna be a long duration with no power on Sherman, probably Lee and maybe some other side streets.” He said large older trees can come down after the soil gets saturated. As a result of the downed tree, several roads in the area are closed. In particular, Sherman Avenue between Hancock Avenue and Maple Avenue, according to Montgomery County Fire Spokesperson Pete Piringer.
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The storms caused significant damage and delays starting Thursday afternoon. There were reports of houses damaged by fallen trees in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. Heavy rain and strong winds also caused backups at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, delaying the afternoon rush hour. That’s in addition to traffic delays caused by storm debris and dark traffic lights on local roads. Thousands of homes lost power, at some point more than 60,000 homes. WTOP’s Nick Iannelli, Hannah Parker and Abigail Constantino contributed to this report.
