SPRINGFIELD — A storm in Springfield ripped the roof off Jim’s Tire Center, leaving live wires sparking and knocking out power to tens of thousands of residents.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 11:00, Springfield Fire Division Chief Jacob King told News Center 7 he is coordinating with utility providers to address the fire hazard at the shop.
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The windstorm caused significant structural damage to the local business.
The roof of Jim’s Tire Center was cracked into pieces and completely torn away during the height of the storm.
Springfield resident Diane Jones was nearby when the storm hit.
Jones said she was asleep when the winds reached their peak and tore the roof from the building.
“I was just taking a nap and woke up to a loud bang, and I was so scared. Thought it was thunder,” Jones said. “Looked outside and it was the roof.”
Jones also expressed concern for the business owners and the people employed at the shop.
“I don’t know what they’re gonna do for the damages,” Jones said. “Hopefully they can get back and running.”
News Center 7 reached out to the tire shop for comment, but didn’t hear back.
At the height of the storm, nearly 80,000 AES customers lost power.
AES Ohio reported that crews and contractors are working to restore service to those affected across the region.
“Due to the extent of the damage, we advise customers to anticipate a restoration process that may take several days. Some outages are complex and require multiple repairs before service can be safely restored. In addition to our local crews, mutual aid crews from other utilities will be assisting with restoration efforts,” an AES spokesperson said.
Despite the structural damage to the tire center and other areas, Jones said she was glad no one was injured in Springfield.
“I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,” Jones said.
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