MEDINA, N.Y. (WKBW) — A heavy thunderstorm rolled through the village of Medina in Orleans County early Wednesday morning, sending a large tree crashing onto a three-family home on Park Avenue and damaging another home along Erin Road in the town of Medina.
Tenant Ross Tetrault was asleep in the Park Avenue when the tree came down around 7:30 a.m.
"I looked down my window, and there's big tree right out my window, and I go, 'Oh God, just how the day starting off,'" Tetrault said.
Tetrault described the moment the tree struck the home.
"It was probably like around 7:30, and I just heard thunder, and then I heard a big crack, and everything was falling off the walls, and I thought it was an earthquake, honestly," Tetrault said.
Landlord Justin Waugh owns the home. He tells me he believes a possible lightning strike caused the tree to fall, and the home was heavily damaged.
"I was at work early this morning. Got the call. Came here as soon as I heard and come upon the scene and in awe from the tree," Waugh said.
Waugh described the extent of the damage to the home.
"It definitely hit the roof. I don't know how many holes are in the roof. It broke off a bunch of the fascia. There's a window broken on the first floor. I know there was water leak in the main hallway," said Waugh.
Next-door neighbor John Gorham said the storm woke him and his wife.
"Then all of a sudden, I hear this boom, and my wife comes down from upstairs. She goes, 'You gotta see what's going on the tree out front fell,'" Gorham said.
WATCH: ‘I heard a big crack’: Severe storm caused scattered damage to some homes in Medina
Gorham said the storm was very powerful.
"You couldn't even see across the street the rain was coming down some hard," Gorham said.
Village crews worked to quickly remove the large tree.
Along Erin Road in the town of Medina, another home was damaged by a split tree.
Homeowner Sue Wilson tells me thunderstorm rolled by her home around 7:30 Wednesday morning.
"I just I heard a crash...and I looked over and I saw this end, and I saw where it came off of this tree," Wilson said.
Wilson described the damage to her home.
"I noticed it went through my window, and then I came to the picture window and saw this big branch, and I'm like, oh man ha ha," Wilson said.
Despite the damage, both town and village residents said fortunately no one was hurt.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
