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North Forsyth family displaced in house fire caused by Tuesday night storm
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A deputy directs traffic around one of the numerous trees down on Browns Bridge Road Tuesday night. - photo by Jim Dean

Strong winds, rain, lightning and some hail blew through Forsyth County Tuesday night, damaging homes and bringing trees and power lines down on roadways.

Though no one was seriously injured as in other counties in north Georgia, the storm did displace one family whose home caught fire from a lightning strike, according to Forsyth County Fire Department Division Chief Jason Shivers.

The home on Mockingbird Road, which connects Bannister and Elmo roads in north Forsyth, sustained “heavy damage” from fire, smoke and water, Shivers said. The residents were able to escape the house but are now displaced.

One woman was also injured on Keith Bridge Road (Hwy. 306) when a tree fell on the van she was driving, trapping her inside.

“Her injuries are minor,” Shivers said.

Firefighters were still out Wednesday assessing damage throughout the county to report to GEMA.

“All in all, the damage was fairly widespread, but nothing terribly severe,” Shivers said.

The fire department responded to the following calls between 7 p.m. and midnight Tuesday:

- Two brush fires caused by lightning strikes
- One lightning strike on a home that did not cause a fire but damaged the house
- One traffic accident
- One house fire
- One home with a tree on it — no one was injured
- Two trees fell near homes and damaged gas meters, causing a leak
- 22 reports of power lines down
- Four cable lines on roadways
- Four trees on roadways

There were more reports of structures that suffered wind damage, though those numbers were not ready as of Wednesday around noon.

The Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office also responded to calls throughout the night.

Eight deputies were dispatched around the county with chainsaws to clear trees from roadways, said Deputy Doug Rainwater, a spokesman for the agency.

Traffic signals and lines fell onto the road at the Buford Highway (Hwy. 20 east) intersection with Haw Creek Parkway around 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Rainwater said. Crews cleared the road and replaced the lights by 9 a.m. Wednesday.

Final number of trees and lines the sheriff’s office responded to were not ready as of Wednesday afternoon, but Rainwater said there were not major incidents or injuries caused by the storm.