Wild winds wreak havoc across Madera

MADERA, Calif. (KFSN) -- Work crews are cleaning up in several Madera neighborhoods where strong winds knocked trees on to homes and cars Friday.

The cleanup is underway at homes on Sonora Street and Sherwood Way and not far from those homes one another home is having the same thing done.

The strong winds had some people in Madera feeling like they were in the scene of a movie. Wild winds left behind twister-like damage and some even captured video but the reports haven't yet been verified by the National Weather Service.

Christine Fontes is still in shock after two of her neighbor's trees on Ashlan Avenue fell on her garage while she was inside.

"It was a tornado because it kept twisting everything everywhere," she said.

"I was scared, I didn't even know what to do," Madera resident Lupe Guerra said. "My son, he helped her out of her house because there was no way for her to come out."

City crews spent the evening cleaning up debris blocking city roads.

Madera police told Action News there were four temporary power outages caused by downed power lines. Those lines were knocked down by the nearly 40 mile per hour winds recorded by the weather service.

Those winds that caused a massive tree to fall on top of a van.

"I didn't realize my van was right under it and it fell, thank God no one was hurt," owner Samantha Medina said.

The storm also caused pieces of the mosaic tile on St. Joachim's Catholic Church to the ground. No one was hurt there either.

"It was quite a shock," Father Gustavo Lopez said. "But, hopefully, with today's technology they can put it all together again."

Madera city firefighters also responded to about a half-dozen homes with uprooted trees. Fire officials say if you have one in your yard call 911 and wait to assess any damage until someone responds.

"We encourage everyone to get out of the residence find a safe spot wait for emergency crews to get there we'll ensure that it's safe for them to return to home," Capt. Geronimo Fernandez with the Madera Fire Department said.

Fire officials also warn you to watch out for any downed wires or power lines near toppled trees.