Downed trees, live wires, power outages after thunderstorms hit McHenry County area

First-responders encountered multiple downed wires and leaning poles, a tree fell on a car in Marengo, a brush fire broke out in the yard of a residence and thousands lost power in as thunderstorms swept through the McHenry County area Thursday evening.

Fire protection districts in Woodstock, Marengo, Harvard and Cary responded to more than a dozen weather-related calls between 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. Thursday, said Alex Vucha, spokesman for all four agencies.

Responders encountered multiple trees that had fallen across roads, downed power lines from falling branches and damaged utility poles. Crews encountered live wires, which in at least one case were smoking, and snapped poles prompted the temporary closure of Hobe Road, and other downed lined occurred on Pleasant Street, Peach Tree Lane and Queen Anne Road in Woodstock, as well as in Harvard along Thompson Street, Vucha said.

A fast-moving brush fire was also contained and extinguished, Vucha said.

Crews also faced downed trees in Woodland and Silver Lake roads in Cary, while residents of the McHenry area made reports on social media of downed trees in that area also.

Public works crews and utility providers were also trying to secure hazard and restore power to at least 3,000 people who lost power in the McHenry County area.

The thunderstorms came during a tornado watch that was in effect until 10 p.m. Thursday. A National Weather Service official said reports were received of 65 mph wind gusts five miles northwest of Marengo and of 55 mph gusts in Boone County five miles east of the town of Herbert, southwest of Marengo. There was also a report of tree damage between McHenry and Volo, north of Lakemoor.

More storms are possible Friday afternoon and evening, the weather service reported. An elevated brush fire risk has also been forecast for Friday.

As cleanup continues, Vucha said residents “are reminded to treat all downed wires as energized and to report outages directly to their utility provider unless there is an immediate hazard.”

The fire districts thanked dispatchers and local law enforcement agencies “for their continued assistance and coordination during the storm response.”