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PrintCOLUMBIA — Twenty people were injured Thursday night at a church function when strong winds caused a tent to collapse onto them, a Columbia Fire Department news release stated.
At 7:11 p.m., fire crews were called to the First Church of the Nazarene on 2601 Blue Ridge Road. Eighteen people were treated for minor injuries, and two were treated for moderate injuries, including cuts, broken bones and one head injury, the release stated. Four of the victims were taken to hospitals by ambulance.
The winds were part of a storm that blew through Columbia on Thursday evening, knocking tree limbs onto cars and houses and downing power lines. The storm also caused traffic signal malfunctions and power outages across Boone County, a dispatcher at Columbia/Boone County Joint Communications said.
At 6:57 p.m., the National Weather Service in St. Louis issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Boone County. At that time, Doppler radar indicated the storm was capable of producing penny-sized hail and winds in excess of 80 mph. Columbia fire crews responded to 21 calls related to the storm.
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