- Mt. Morris Fire Responds to Multiple Reports of Storm Damage -

Around 6:30pm on Monday August 4, 2008 a fast moving storm struck Ogle County.  This storm was packed with high destructive winds and lightening.  The National Weather Service issued simultaneous severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings for Ogle County.  The Village of Mt. Morris took an extreamly hard hit from these storms.  Mt. Morris Firefighters spent most of the night Monday responding to alarms. Those alarms varied from multiple basement fires, downed power lines, trees on homes, and oxygen requests after this massive storm swept through the Village.  Fire Chief Rob Hough states that "the village was hit extremely hard, and fire crews are out."  The storm left the entire village without electricity.  Firefighters spent most of the night Monday and several hours on Tuesday assisting in cleaning up debris, securing buildings and power lines.  Multiple CO alarms were checked due to generators running.  Several residents who are normally on oxygen were brought small oxygen tanks to help get them through the event.  All Mt. Morris Companies were back in quarters in the early afternoon hours of Wednesday the 6th.  Firefighters assisted in removing large branches off of cars and out of the roadways.  No injuries were reported during or from the storms.  Numerous structures were damaged North of the village line, and as of Wednesday several residents still were without power.  The Mt. Morris Fire District would like to take this time to remind it's residents to remember the dangers of burning candles and running generators.  Remember the exhaust from these generators puts off CO, which is a colorless, odorless gas.  We understand that it is important to get things cleaned up but we all need to remember safety needs to come first.  Be cautious around downed power lines, you have to assume that they are still energized. For more safety tips click here.  The Mt. Morris Fire District would like to thank all their residence for their assistance and understanding throughout these storms it was great to see neighbors helping each other to get through these tough times.

	Photos By Jerry Stauffer - Dist. Photographer

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