Storm causes damage, power outages

With wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour, this afternoon’s storm caused power outages, damage and fires to the Idaho Falls area.

Trees fell on houses and power lines, causing outages to around 2,500 homes. The Idaho Falls Fire Department said it received about 10 calls between 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., mostly for electrical issues. Lightning did cause a fire in the Iona foothills. It only burned about 10 acres before being quickly put out by neighbors, IFFD and the BLM. The fire department says it is always prepared for storms like the one this afternoon.

“We have to be prepared for stuff like this that happens and all of our resources were on it immediately,” said Kerry Hammon, public information officer for the Idaho Falls Fire Department. “The fire department got on that fire at Iona Hill quickly. And thankfully, we did have that wind help control a little bit and it was caused from lightning.”

The city said most homes should get power back around 10 p.m., however, the homes in the John Adams/Fanning area may not get it back on until around 1 a.m.