High winds cause extensive damage in Kitchener

A powerful storm that brought with it winds that hit 100 km/h caused extensive damage in Kitchener on Saturday night.

Fire Chief Tim Beckett told CBC News that the storm moved along a straight path stretchingbetween the intersection of Belmont and Victoria streets through to the intersection of Louisa and Duke streets.

"It was damage that was unlike the damage that occurred last Friday when we had the strong winds come through," said Beckett.

"We had trees that werent really toppled, but ripped apart. We had sheds picked up and blown 50 to 100metres away from where they were actually sitting. And [the damage] was more isolated in a certain area."

Beckett reported some damage to homes, but nothing that forced people out of their houses.

"Some broken windows, siding had been ripped off, some had trees [that fell] onto the house," said Beckett. "But all are habitable."

An Environment Canada meteorologist visited Kitchener Sunday to determine if a tornado had touched down.

But the investigation revealed that the damage was caused by high winds from a downburst, and that many of the trees that were torn apart were weakened from asevere storm that hit the city the previous week.

At the storm's peak, approximately 6,800customers were without power.

Most homeshad their powerrestored by midday, until another tree or branch toppled power lines on Notre Dame Drive, near Berletts Road, this morning, said Wilf Meston, the vice-president of operations for Kitchener-Wilmot Hydro.